De facto Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo on Wednesday, as Japan pledged to extend economic assistance worth ¥40 billion over the next five years for regions that are home to ethnic minority groups.
After the meeting at the Government Guesthouse, Abe told reporters that Japan hopes the aid will help Myanmar to settle its deeply rooted ethnic conflicts, an issue that ranks among the top priority goals for Suu Kyi, who is a Nobel Peace Prize winner.
The Japanese government and Japan-based private-sector businesses are now ready to contribute about ¥800 billion in total to the country's development programs over the next five years, Abe also said.