Key facts
- Japanese envoy Yohei Sasakawa met with Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing on Tuesday.
Japanese envoy Yohei Sasakawa met with Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyitaw on Tuesday to discuss peace process assistance and human resource development. The meeting, reported by state media, marks a step in international re-engagement with the isolated nation.
The meeting signifies a potential shift in diplomatic engagement with Myanmar's military junta, which has been largely isolated since its 2021 coup. Japan's involvement could influence international efforts towards peace and stability in the conflict-ridden Southeast Asian nation.
Yohei Sasakawa, Japan's special envoy for national reconciliation in Myanmar, met with junta leader Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyitaw on Tuesday, according to state media. Sasakawa, who also chairs the Nippon Foundation, discussed providing assistance to Myanmar's peace process and developing the country's human resources. Myanmar has been in turmoil since a 2021 military coup led by Min Aung Hlaing, which triggered a nationwide civil war. Japan's foreign ministry did not immediately comment on the visit. Sasakawa previously helped broker a truce between the military and the Arakan Army in 2022, though that ceasefire has since collapsed. The United States has begun re-engaging with Myanmar, holding talks in Tokyo this month. Separately, Japan's acting envoy to Myanmar met with the country's foreign minister in October, following a September visit by Japanese lawmaker Hiromichi Watanabe.
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