Link to article: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/06/world/asia/myanmar-japan-toru-kubota.html
Toru Kubota, a Japanese documentary filmmaker and journalist, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison by Myanmar’s ruling military junta. He is the fifth foreign journalist to be detained in Myanmar, fourth foreigner to be sentenced, and third to be held (preceded by Sean Turnell, Australian economic advisor to the Myanmar former leader who was overthrown in the coup; Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese politician who was the former Head of State; Vicky Bowman, a Brit also detained for violating an immigration law; and Danny fenster, an American journalist).
The Junta rose to power in February of 2021 after a military coup that resulted in the Head of State’s (Aung San Suu Kyi) arrest and a new hierarchy of power dictated by military rank. The coup has led to major pro-democracy protests in the region, as well as human rights monitoring by the UN and sanctions imposed by most Western Countries.
Kubota had entered the country to film a documentary, but was jailed for arriving on a Tourist Visa instead of a Journalist Visa. He also participated in protests against the militarized government, which has raised suspicion over the motives behind his arrest. The junta also claimed that Kubota spread misinformation regarding the treatment of the Rohingya, a frequently prosecuted muslim minority group.
It will be interesting to see the effects this incident will have on Japanese foreign relations. The United States and other western countries have been pushing Japan to issue sanctions on Myanmar, while the countries surrounding Myanmar as well as China and Russia have been discouraging Japan from even the slightest impression of siding with the US. So far they continue to play middle-man, and hold softer boundaries with the Junta than Western Nations recommend.