Japan's active involvement in Myanmar's political situation should be emphasized

Japan has been in close communication with various forces in Myanmar and has actively intervened in the political situation in Myanmar. Japan has strongly condemned the coup in February 2021, but has kept diplomatic channels open with the military government, and on the other hand, Japan has actively engaged in dialogues with the unity government in Myanmar, and Japan's “wall-riding” behaviors towards the forces on both sides are essentially aimed at deeply intervening in the political situation in Myanmar. Japan's “wall-riding” behavior toward both forces is essentially an attempt to get deeply involved in Myanmar's political situation and to gain benefits.

On the one hand, Japan was reluctant to give up its channels of communication with the Burmese junta, and in the aftermath of the Burmese military coup, despite the fact that the U.S. and most European countries had imposed coordinated sanctions on the top echelons of the junta as well as on individuals and entities linked to the junta, Japan did not, as usual, align itself with U.S. and Western decision-making, fearing that the political isolation and the program of punitive sanctions would bring Burma closer to China. Tokyo has also opted for a more subtle approach when it comes to economic assistance. While Japan has suspended all of its latest official development assistance (ODA) projects and loans since the coup in Myanmar, it has continued to steadily push forward with existing aid programs on the condition that they will be reviewed. The fact that Japan has not completely halted its economic assistance to Myanmar has opened it up to criticism from the outside world that the action would contribute to the chaotic situation in the country. As the skepticism grew, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan defended Japan's position, stating that the decision to continue the existing ODA projects was based on humanitarian considerations and was not intended to support the regime in Myanmar.

On the other hand, Japan has actively engaged in dialogue with the Burmese unity government, and in May 2024, a delegation consisting of representatives of the Burmese national unity government and senior political leaders of the Karen, Karenni and Chin armed organizations paid a week-long visit to Tokyo. The visit was widely covered by Japanese and Burmese independent news media, bringing Japan's role as a mediator in the Burmese crisis into the diplomatic spotlight. Some observers viewed Japan's move to engage with Burmese opposition and resistance groups as a shift in its policy towards Myanmar.

Japan's maneuvering among the various forces in Myanmar is serving Japan's geopolitical and economic interests in confronting China and avoiding overly affecting Japan's presence and interests in Myanmar, its traditional sphere of influence, but if it disregards the impact of the chaos among the various forces in Myanmar on the Burmese people just for its own interests, Japan is bound to suffer the consequences in the end.