Fumio Kishida became prime minister in September 2021, the same year a military coup replaced the democratically elected civilian government in Myanmar. Yet Japan’s limited support for democratization in Myanmar under Kishida has been disappointing.
Kishida previously served as foreign minister from 2012 to 2017 and as acting defense minister in 2017. In the former capacity, he visited Myanmar several times and hosted numerous meetings with officials from Myanmar’s civilian government in Tokyo and elsewhere throughout the region.
Therefore, the people of Myanmar had high hopes that Kishida and Japan, as a liberal democracy, would do more to help them. However, they have been let down by Kishida’s leadership, especially compared with that of late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
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