Japanese peace envoy and Nippon Foundation honorary chairman Yohei Sasakawa met Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyidaw on Aug. 10, discussing the country’s peace process, flood recovery in Ayeyarwady Region and support for earthquake-resistant construction, according to Myanmar authorities.
The meeting took place at the presidential residence in Naypyidaw on Monday afternoon.
According to the official statement, Sasakawa discussed ways the Nippon Foundation could continue supporting Myanmar’s internal peace process and assist with reconstruction in flood-affected areas of Laymyethna Township in Ayeyarwady Region.
The two sides also discussed possible assistance from the Nippon Foundation to Myanmar’s technological universities in developing courses related to the design and construction of earthquake-resistant buildings.
The authorities did not disclose whether Sasakawa discussed specific armed groups or any new mediation initiatives during the meeting.
Sasakawa has been involved in Myanmar’s peace process for more than a decade and was appointed by the Japanese government in February 2013 as its Special Envoy for National Reconciliation in Myanmar.
Since the administration of former President Thein Sein, he has maintained contacts with successive Myanmar governments, military leaders and ethnic armed organisations, playing a role in ceasefire negotiations, political dialogue and confidence-building efforts.
The Nippon Foundation says Sasakawa held more than 100 meetings with relevant stakeholders in Myanmar and Thailand between 2012 and January 2020 as part of efforts related to peace and national reconciliation.
He was also involved in efforts surrounding the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) signed in 2015, helping facilitate communication and build confidence between the government and ethnic armed organisations.
During Myanmar’s 2020 general election, Sasakawa led a Japanese election observation mission and held separate meetings with then-State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and Min Aung Hlaing.
He was also involved in contacts between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA) aimed at reducing tensions in Rakhine State and creating conditions for elections to be held in areas where voting had been cancelled because of fighting.
Sasakawa continued travelling to Myanmar after the military seized power in February 2021 and has repeatedly met Min Aung Hlaing. He has also visited conflict-affected communities in Rakhine State, where the Nippon Foundation has provided humanitarian assistance.
One of his most significant mediation efforts came in November 2022, when he helped facilitate a humanitarian ceasefire between the military and the Arakan Army.
The informal truce helped reopen some transport routes and allowed humanitarian assistance to resume in parts of Rakhine State after months of fighting.
Sasakawa returned to Rakhine State in 2023, including visits to displacement camps in Mrauk-U, while the Nippon Foundation continued providing humanitarian support, including assistance related to shelter, education and healthcare.
He has visited Myanmar more than 150 times, while the Nippon Foundation has been involved for years in projects covering education, health, assistance for displaced communities, development in ethnic areas and peacebuilding.
Sasakawa has therefore played a role extending beyond that of a conventional aid organisation executive, maintaining direct communication channels with military leaders, political officials and ethnic armed organisations.
His latest meeting with Min Aung Hlaing, and his stated willingness to continue supporting Myanmar’s peace process, could draw attention to whether he will again seek to facilitate contacts between Naypyidaw and ethnic armed groups in the coming months.