Japanese executive arrested in Myanmar over rice price violationJapanese executive of retail giant arrested in Myanmar

Tokyo, July 1 (EFE).- Myanmar's military junta has arrested a Japanese national, an employee of a subsidiary of Japanese retail giant Aeon in the country, for allegedly violating national rice price controls set by the authorities.

Japanese government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi confirmed the arrests, along with four other individuals whose nationalities were not specified, who are currently being questioned in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city.

At a news conference Monday, Hayashi said a lawyer met with the Japanese national, who had no health problems, according to the embassy.

He added that the government would continue to provide assistance and take necessary measures to ensure the release of the detained citizen.

The Japanese national arrested is Hiroshi Kasamatsu, 53, general manager of the product division of Aeon Orange, the subsidiary that operates in Myanmar, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported.

A total of 11 people have been arrested in connection with the case in which the Burmese junta accuses the company of selling rice at a price between 50 and 70 percent higher than the authorized price, although Kasamatsu is the only one Japanese.

An Aeon spokesperson told NHK that the company would cooperate with authorities' investigation with the aim of resolving the matter as quickly as possible.

A military coup in 2021 plunged Myanmar into a political, social and economic crisis, which triggered a spiral of violence with new civilian militias that exacerbated the country's decades-long guerrilla warfare. EFE

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