Japanese CEO arrested in Myanmar over rice price violationsJapanese CEO of retail giant arrested in Myanmar

Tokyo, July 1 (EFE) – Myanmar’s military junta has detained a Japanese citizen, an employee of a subsidiary of Japanese retail giant Aeon in the country, for allegedly violating the country’s rice price control regulations introduced by the authorities.

Japanese government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi confirmed the arrest of four other people, whose nationalities were not given. They are being questioned in Rangoon, Myanmar’s largest city.

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

He added that the government will continue to provide assistance and will take the necessary steps to release the detained citizen.

The detained Japanese national has been identified as Hiroshi Kasamatsu, 53, general manager of Aeon Orange’s products division, a subsidiary operating in Myanmar, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported.

A total of 11 people have been arrested in connection with the case. The Myanmar junta accuses the company of selling rice at a price 50-70 percent higher than permitted, although the only Japanese person involved is Kasamatsu.

An Aeon spokesman told NHK that the company will cooperate with investigating authorities to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.

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

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