Lower house lawmaker meets with Myanmar junta leader

BANGKOK (Jiji Press) — House of Representatives lawmaker Hiromichi Watanabe met with Min Aung Hlaing, leader of Myanmar’s junta, in Naypyidaw on Thursday, a Myanmar state-run newspaper has reported.

Watanabe, a member of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and former reconstruction minister, is believed to have been the first incumbent lawmaker from Japan to meet with Min Aung Hlaing since the military took control of Myanmar in February 2021.

The two discussed Myanmar’s current political situation and further cooperation in the fields of economics and investment.

The state media also said that the two talked about the spread of misinformation related to Myanmar’s situation and the importance of Japanese people knowing what is really happening in the Southeast Asian nation now.