Human Rights Watch Asks Japanese Government To Cut Defense Ties With Myanmar Military

Human Rights Watch [HRW] urged the Japanese government to dissolve the military pact that provides expansive academic and military training to the Myanmar army. Astonishingly, Japan is providing military training to Myanmar cadets while its fortified forces are committing crimes against humanity in Myanmar itself, said Asia program officer at Human Rights Watch on December 20, 2021.

However, Japan's defence ministry had no comment on HRW's statement. Japanese training program provided large-scale academic and military training, including combat and arms training, to the Myanmar military known as Tatmadaw that executed a coup on February 1 in the Southeast Asian countries.

During a foreign Affairs committee Session on April 14, a defence military functionary, Masahiro Kawasaki, said Japan had been accepting cadets from Myanmar since 2015 under article 100 of the self-defence forces act, which permits the training and education of foreign nationals in Defense Ministry Facilities, including the academy, with the approval of the defence minister, sourced by Human Rights Watch.

State Of Emergency

The February coup resulted in the arrest of civilian leaders of the national and state governments, Including Aung San Suu Kyi, and announced one-year "state of emergency". Since then, around 1300 people have been killed by military and police forces, along with it around 10,000 people have been retarded.

As per the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners, Junta controlled courts have sentenced hundreds to prison terms and 75 people, including two children, to death. In fact, widespread and systematic killings, torture and sexual violence have amounted to a crime against humanity.

In August 2017, under commander–in–chief Sen. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the Myanmar military carried mass atrocities against the ethnic Rohingya in Rakhine state, forcing more than 740,000 to flee. At least 600,000 Rohingya remaining in Myanmar are confined to camps and villages under the guard of local authorities and security forces, under conditions that adds up to the crime against humanity of apartheid.

In reference to Myanmar Military's brutal behaviour, Asia program officer at HRW said "Japan should not be supporting and endorsing Myanmar's extremely abusive armed forces by training Tatmadaw soldiers".

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