Japan to provide $18.5 million in humanitarian aid to Myanmar

Ns News Online Desk: TOKYO-Japan will extend an additional $18.5 million in humanitarian aid to Myanmar where daily necessities are in short supply since the military coup a year ago.

The money will be used to deliver items including food and medical products through international organizations and the secretariat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, according to the Foreign Ministry.

“The Japanese government will continue to proactively provide humanitarian assistance that reaches the people of Myanmar in need,” Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference.

The decision came after the United Nations on Jan 30 called on the international community to provide humanitarian assistance totaling $826 million to Myanmar over the next year.

Hayashi said he expects other countries to also respond to the U.N. appeal.

Excluding the latest pledge, Japan has contributed over $20 million in humanitarian assistance to the people of Myanmar since the Feb. 1 coup last year, which ousted its democratically elected government and civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi..