A Japanese man has been detained in Myanmar's commercial capital Yangon, an official at Japan's embassy confirmed Sunday, the latest foreigner ensnared in the junta-ruled nation.
A military coup last year sparked rolling protests and a deadly response from the junta, with more than 2,000 people killed and at least 14,000 arrested, according to a local monitoring group.
On Saturday, Japanese and local media said filmmaker Toru Kubota, 26, was detained near an anti-government rally along with two Myanmar citizens.
"I can confirm a Japanese national was detained yesterday in Yangon," an official at the Japanese embassy told AFP Sunday, requesting anonymity.
The embassy is "in contact with the authorities and taking measures to secure their release".
The Japanese official, who did not confirm the identity of the detained individual, said they had no information on whether he was arrested during a protest.
A junta spokesperson was not available for comment.
A small crowd rallied outside Japan's foreign ministry in Tokyo on Sunday, holding placards of Kubota.
Several foreigners have been arrested in the military's crackdown on dissent since the putsch.
Last year Japanese filmmaker Yuki Kitazumi was detained by Myanmar authorities while covering the coup's aftermath.
Under international pressure he was released and returned to Japan in May 2021.
Kitazumi expressed shock over Kubota's detention, and said he hoped he would be released "soon".
"He is a documentary videographer and there is no reason for him to be arrested if he was gathering materials," he said.
Myanmar's junta has clamped down on press freedoms, arresting reporters and photographers, as well as revoking broadcasting licences.
As of March this year, 48 journalists remain in custody across the country, according to monitoring group Reporting ASEAN.
Myanmar ambassador to Paris summoned over executions
Paris (AFP) July 29, 2022 –
France's foreign ministry on Friday summoned Myanmar's ambassador to Paris to protest against the execution of four political prisoners by the military junta, a diplomatic source told AFP.
"The Myanmar ambassador was also reminded of our call for an immediate end to the violence perpetrated by the Myanmar military regime, the release of all those arbitrarily detained since the coup in February 2021 and the establishment of a dialogue process including all stakeholders," the source added.
The executions announced Monday are Myanmar's first in decades and have heightened fears that more will follow, prompting calls for tougher international measures against the already-isolated junta.
Among the four executed were Phyo Zeya Thaw, a former lawmaker from Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) and veteran democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu — better known as "Ko Jimmy".
Both were sentenced to death under anti-terrorism laws.
Myanmar's junta has hit back at international condemnation of its use of capital punishment, saying the four executed prisoners "deserved many death sentences".
