Tokyo: On Monday, a day after a Japanese journalist was arrested in Myanmar’s largest city, Yangon, the Japanese government demanded the release of his citizen from Myanmar. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters on Monday that his government has asked Myanmar authorities why the Japanese journalist was arrested?
Japan has also asked for more information from Myanmar in this regard and has demanded the release of the Japanese journalist as soon as possible. He did not reveal the identity of the arrested journalist, but Japanese media identified him as Yuki Kitajumi, a former reporter for the ‘Nikkei’ newspaper and a journalist currently working independently in Yangon. “We will continue to do our best to ensure the safety of Japanese citizens in Myanmar, demanding the early release of a journalist from that country,” Kato said.
Kitajumi was also briefly detained in late February while covering pro-democracy demonstrations in Myanmar. Japan has criticized the military coup in Myanmar, but has taken a softer stance than the US and some other countries that have imposed sanctions against members of Myanmar’s military.
