Myanmar diaspora urges Japanese Foreign Ministry to clarify lawmakers’ Naypyidaw visits

A support rally for UN Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun was held in Tokyo, Japan, on Sept. 13. (Credit: NUG Support Team Japan)

Members of the Myanmar community in Japan submitted a formal letter of inquiry to the Japanese Foreign Ministry in Tokyo on Wednesday protesting recent high-level visits to Naypyidaw by two Japanese lawmakers.

Addressed to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on behalf of the diaspora, the petition requests that Tokyo clarify the nature, scope, and diplomatic alignment of the engagements, which diaspora leaders warned could grant unmerited legitimacy to the regime in Naypyidaw.

The petition targets visits conducted by two prominent Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) politicians, including lower-house lawmaker Hiromichi Watanabe, a former Reconstruction Minister who visited on Sept. 22, and LDP lawmaker Shunsuke Takei, a former State Minister for Foreign Affairs who visited on Sept. 14.

During their trips, both lawmakers met with Khin Yi, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) chairperson and speaker of the Pyithu Hluttaw, or lower house of parliament, with Watanabe reportedly extending an invitation for Khin Yi to visit Japan.

Myo Min Swe, speaking on behalf of the Myanmar Community in Japan, urged Japanese authorities to clarify how these activities relate to Japan’s broader diplomatic policy toward Myanmar.