Japan has officially downgraded its diplomatic representation in Myanmar, joining other nations in signaling its disapproval of the country’s military regime. Ambassador Ichiro Maruyama will soon end his term and be replaced by a lower-ranking diplomat, a Chargé d'Affaires.

According to sources, Mr. Yoshitake has already taken up the role as Chargé d'Affaires since September 15 and is stationed in Yangon. This move aligns Japan with the US, UK, Australia, and other Western nations that downgraded their diplomatic presence in Myanmar after the military coup in 2021.

The diplomatic downgrades are widely viewed as a refusal to recognize the legitimacy of Myanmar's junta, which has been responsible for severe human rights violations, including violent crackdowns on peaceful protests and airstrikes on civilian populations.

The Japanese Embassy in Yangon did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

Since the 2021 coup, Japan has called on the Myanmar regime to stop the violence, release political prisoners such as Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and restore democracy. In March 2021, following an escalation in the junta's brutal response to protests, Ambassador Maruyama met with Myanmar’s foreign minister, Wanna Maung Lwin, in Naypyitaw to urge an end to the violence and the release of detainees. However, Myanmar’s state-run MRTV portrayed the meeting as focusing on maintaining friendly bilateral relations, prompting the Japanese Embassy to issue a clarification.

On the third anniversary of the coup in February, Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa condemned the military’s extension of emergency rule and the continued violence. In May, Japan hosted talks with anti-regime ethnic armed groups and representatives of Myanmar’s parallel civilian government, offering to mediate in resolving the ongoing crisis.

BOB Post