Japan refuses to impose sanctions on Myanmar, undermining US strategy to pressure junta
- One major factor preventing Japan from taking harsher measures is concern over ceding influence in Myanmar to China
- Beijing has blocked uniform sanctions at the UN Security Council and said its policy towards Myanmar was unaffected by the coup
The remarks, delivered in Burmese, drew applause from pro-democracy demonstrators hoping Japan would take concrete action to pressure Myanmar’s military, also known as the Tatmadaw. Since then, Japan has resisted calls to impose sanctions or suspend ongoing infrastructure projects, saying only that it would avoid carrying out any new non-humanitarian deals with the junta.
What’s more, some influential Japanese voices want to embrace the junta.
Yusuke Watanabe, secretary general of the influential Japan-Myanmar Association – a group that includes senior Japanese politicians and business leaders – wrote in an opinion piece last month that Tokyo “must position itself as a bridge between the Tatmadaw and the United States and other democratic countries rather than blindly aligning itself with the Western policy of regime change”.