Asylum seekers from Myanmar were buoyed by the visit of their country's democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and hope it will strengthen bilateral ties and encourage more private-sector investment in their nation's struggling economy.
Suu Kyi's visit this week is a historic event for the more than 8,500 Myanmar citizens who sought political asylum in Japan in the wake of the 1988 crackdown on the democracy movement, in which the military junta killed more than 10,000.
"I never imagined that Suu Kyi could come to Japan," said Tin Win Akbar, who was detained, along with thousands of others, during the uprising. He joined Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy, in 1989, the day after his release. "I hope her visit will forge friendship between the Burmese people and the Japanese government, as Suu Kyi is the representative of the Burmese public."