Japan urged to proactively engage with Myanmar as China steps in

China’s recent mediation of talks between Myanmar’s ruling junta and three ethnic rebel groups in the country has highlighted a perceived absence of Japan’s leadership in addressing the prolonged crisis there, which observers believe has reached a turning point since the 2021 coup.

The mediation, which Beijing said brought a temporary ceasefire between the two sides in the country’s northeast, raised questions about Japan’s Myanmar policy that primarily deals with the junta without promoting ties with the National Unity Government (NUG), the shadow civilian leadership, and its ethnic minority allies, analysts say.

Details of an agreement, such as how long the ceasefire will last and its implications for the whole conflict, remain to be seen. China intervened at a critical juncture, coinciding with the success of a coordinated offensive by the three groups in late October that has emboldened pro-democracy forces nationwide, presenting the most significant challenge to the junta since the coup.