JAPAN-BURMA: The Business of Renewing Friendships (1) An Inter Press Service Feature

By Suvendrini Kakuchi Reprint | | Print |

Suvendrini Kakuchi

TOKYO, Nov 23 1994 (IPS) - Japan is sprinting ahead of Western governments to re-establish ties with Burma after what Tokyo says were signs that the military junta in Rangoon is considering relaxing its grip on the nation.

Indeed, some political analysts even say the resumption of official relations with Burma may take place as early as January next year.

But the decision is already meeting heavy criticism from Burmese exiles and Japanese analysts who say Tokyo is rushing too fast to befriend Burma’s military leaders because of commercial concerns.

Earlier this month, the Japanese government announced that it was ready to resume official development aid to Burma — after a lapse of six years — in the hope that it will lead to democracy in the South-east Asian nation.

Officials said the move was prompted by the two recent meetings of Burma’s military leaders with Nobel laureate and Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest for the past five years.

The meetings took place in September and October and have been viewed by the international community as the clearest sign to date that the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), as the junta calls itself, is taking steps toward national reconciliation.

The modest gesture has encouraged Washington, SLORC’s harshest critic, to embark on a new strategy toward a constructive dialogue with Burma’s military government.

In contrast, Tokyo, once Burma’s highest aid donor, has used the occasion to renew its old friendly ties with the Rangoon.

“Japan has jumped ahead of Western donors by taking the initiative. It is something Tokyo has always wanted to do,” says Burma expert Ikuko Ida of the Institute of Developing Economies.

But Burmese exiles in Japan and their small band of Japanese supporters disagree with Tokyo’s decision. They say it may only lead SLORC to believe it can make the world forget that the Burmese military is determined to stay in power despite having lost the 1990 elections to Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD).

“Nothing has changed in Burma,” says lawyer Toru Takahashi, who is fighting to have his Burmese client granted refugee status in Japan. “Suu Kyi is still under house arrest. People are still afraid to speak out.”