Press Releases

1. On November 8 (same day local time), voting in the general election which was held in Myanmar for the first time since its transition to civilian rule in 2011 was finished in a generally peaceful manner, under the works of many domestic and foreign election observer missions, according to the report as of November 9 from the election observer mission that the Government of Japan dispatched to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. Although the official result of the election has not be announced yet, the Government of Japan welcomes the holding of Myanmar’s general election as an important milestone in the advancement of democratization and appreciates that the Government of Myanmar accepted the election observer missions.

2. The Governemnt of Japan has been supporting a free and fair election through the dispatch of this election observer mission, which is headed by Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Special Envoy of the Government of Japan for National Reconciliation in Myanmar. The Government of Japan hopes the results of this election will be confirmed through a fair and appropriate procedure, and Myanmar’s democratization and various reforms will be further progressed.

3. The Government of Japan intends to continue to support these reform efforts in Myanmar, and further develop the traditional relationship of friendship and cooperation.