The Japanese government has lodged an official complaint with the military junta in Myanmar after a human rights group reported that ships donated to the country for civilian purposes had been used to transport soldiers and military equipment to take part in attacks on the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group.    

The Myanmar government quickly apologized for making use of the boats in ways that were not intended when they were delivered.

Naypyitaw replied to the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo that it would take measures to ensure that the vessels were not used by the military again.

Japan has long-standing ties with Myanmar and has maintained relations with the country even after the military there seized power in February 2021 by toppling a democratically elected government.

Despite widespread criticism of its stance, the Japanese government has not changed it.

But learning that Japanese-funded ships have been used for attacks on civilians may be too much for Tokyo to stomach. 

'Stop the violence'

In a statement released on March 29, the Japanese Foreign Ministry called on the "Myanmar military to faithfully work towards a peaceful resolution of the situation" in the country, to release members of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) political group and to "immediately stop the violence."

Human Rights Watch (HRW), which revealed the military's use of the Japanese transport ships, estimates that at least 3,400 people have been killed since the military coup.

An additional 21,000 people have been arrested and 17,000 are currently detained, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a nonprofit founded by former political prisoners living in exile.  

The Myanmar military has been blamed for airstrikes in Sagaing region last month that killed dozens of civilians, and an attack in the Magway region that destroyed a hospital built with Japanese official development assistance (ODA).  

There have also been repeated reports of torture.

The junta, in fact, was accused of crimes against humanity and genocide even before the coup.

An estimated 1 million Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar after a 2017 military crackdown that is now subject to a UN genocide investigation.

Most of them who fled have since been living in refugee camps in Bangladesh. About 600,000 Rohingya still live in Myanmar, but they face persecution and violence and are largely cut off from outside food and health care assistance.

Maintaining lines of communication 

Yet throughout this period, HRW points out, Tokyo has maintained links with Naypyitaw.

After the coup, Japan halted new aid projects, but continued to support existing programs.

One of the most contentious aid programs provided by Tokyo has been the training of military officers in Tokyo. Since 2015, Myanmar cadets and officers have undergone training at the Japanese National Defense Academy.

Even though Japan said in September 2022 that it would stop accepting new recruits, it allowed soldiers already in the program to complete their training.

"For a long time, the Japanese government has held on to the position that it is extremely important for Tokyo to keep lines of communication open with the Myanmar government while, at the same time, expressing opposition to all undemocratic behavior and actions," said a Japanese government official, who asked not to be named, being not authorized to speak to the media.

But now the relationship "is clearly changing," stressed the official, who works for the Defense Ministry in Tokyo, pointing out that an increasing number of Japanese politicians and officials were realizing that they didn't have the kind of leverage over Naypyitaw they thought they had.  

"If the junta does not change now, then I think Japan has no choice but to follow in the footsteps of other governments and take a far harsher line on the government," the official said. "They have sensed that nothing is working, and it is going to be harder and harder to justify not taking a firmer position."

HRW has also called on the Japanese government to immediately suspend all non-humanitarian aid to Myanmar and "impose targeted sanctions on military leaders and military-owned conglomerates."

Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru