May 21, 2021 (Nikkei) - TOKYO -- Japan will consider cutting off all official development assistance to Myanmar, even for ongoing projects, if the situation there does not improve, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told Nikkei.
"We don't want to do that at all, but we have to state firmly that it will be difficult to continue under these circumstances," Motegi said. "As a country that supported Myanmar's democratization in various ways, and as a friend, we must represent the international community and convey that clearly."
Japan provided 189.3 billion yen ($1.74 billion at current rates) in development aid to Myanmar in fiscal 2019, more than any other country with disclosed figures -- numbers for China have not been released.
Tokyo has already halted negotiations on new projects in response to the military coup and the ensuing violent repression of protesters. A full suspension of funding would mark its first time doing so since Japan began providing ODA to Myanmar in 1954, according to the Foreign Ministry here.
Projects receiving official Japanese financial support include a rail link between Yangon and Mandalay, the country's two largest cities. Work on some has been brought to a halt by the ongoing turmoil, but others are still underway.
Security forces are said to have killed about 800 people and arrested roughly 4,000 since the Feb. 1 coup. While the U.S. and the European Union have imposed sanctions against junta leaders and military-linked entities, Japan has avoided following suit, opting instead to keep dialogue going.
