Japan suspends new aid to Myanmar over military coup

Japan has suspended the provision of new aid to Myanmar in response to last month's military coup, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said yesterday, as the violent crackdown against protesters draws a wave of international condemnation.

The move follows criticism Japan was taking a soft stance on Myanmar, compared to the US and other western countries which have placed sanctions on individuals and companies linked to the military junta that ousted the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

"Japan is the largest provider of economic assistance to Myanmar, and we aren't planning any new projects. We have taken a clear stance," Motegi told a parliamentary session.

Motegi argued withholding official development assistance, or ODA, would do more to put pressure on the military than those sanctions, saying, "If you consider which is more effective, I think it's pretty clear.

"To say it's good and courageous to impose sanctions and cowardly to not, such a dichotomy doesn't make sense on the international stage," he said.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Japan's aid to Myanmar totaled nearly 190 billion yen ($1.7 billion) in the 2019-2020 fiscal, by far the biggest contributor other than regional rival China, which does not disclose corresponding data.

About 450 Japanese companies, mostly in the manufacturing sector, operate in Myanmar and Japan is the fifth-largest foreign investor there, according to the Myanmar government.