DKI APCSS’ Dr. Miemie Winn Byrd recently briefed the Members of Japan’s Upper House on the current situation in Myanmar.  The meeting was convened and hosted by MP Mr. Masaharu Nakagawa, the Chair of the Parliamentary Committee to Support Myanmar Democracy; Chair of the General Meeting of Democratic Party Diet Members; a former Minister of Finance; and Minister of Education, Culture, Sport, Science & Technology.  The meeting was held at the Diet on Dec. 9, 2023. She also briefed the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau/ Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  Dr. Byrd provided an update on the status of the Myanmar conflict and her assessment of the military junta and the opposition coalition forces.  She also provided a summary of the US Burma Act of 2023.

According to Dr. Byrd, “We discussed some of the possible policies and programs the Japanese government can implement to assist the pro-democracy movement to quickly progress from the current tipping point to the endpoint.  We also discussed the role of China in the current conflict and its possible responses to recent developments in Myanmar.”

Also, while in Japan, Dr. Byrd gave a public lecture on “Myanmar Turmoil in the Context of Strategic Competition” at the Tokyo University Komaba Campus.

The trip also included a visit to Thailand, where she spoke at the Chiang Mai University School of Public Policy and visited a number of other civil society organizations working on issues relating to the Myanmar conflict.