By Junichi Fukasawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Director and Senior Writer

16:05 JST, January 7, 2026

Voters went to the polls in Myanmar on Dec. 28 for the initial phase of the country’s general election. Polling will also take place on Jan. 11 and 25.

Ichiro Maruyama, a former Japanese ambassador to Myanmar, spoke about the country’s rule under a military junta and the ongoing election during an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun. Maruyama, now 72, has long been engaged in Japan’s diplomacy with Myanmar and holds close ties with Aung San Suu Kyi.

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The Yomiuri Shimbun: Has the military always been desperate to have control of the country?

Ichiro Maruyama: I went to Myanmar for the first time in 1979, during the Ne Win socialist government under a military dictatorship. Then, no organizations other than the military were allowed and most administrative officials at ministerial status or lower were former military personnel. It was mostly the same under Than Shwe’s administration.

Immediately after independence from Britain, the military fought against the Karen group and the Communist Party of Burma, which fueled uprisings.

Government employees also took part in the 1988 pro-democracy demonstrations. I vividly remember a senior military officer under the Than Shwe administration saying that is why they cannot trust civilians or civil servants. The officer said only the military bears the responsibility for the country.

Recently, Min Aung Hlaing, the supreme commander of the military, said in a speech that the military must remain in the role of political leadership, given historical context and the current situation. I feel such strongly held convictions have been passed down through the military since the 1962 coup.

Yomiuri: Some other Southeast Asian nations used to have developmental dictatorships or military regimes, too.

Maruyama: The impact of Myanmar continuing to have an isolationist policy until 1988 is very significant. Because of that, it had no engagement with the international community.

Around the same time, countries like Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines developed under developmental dictatorships, attracting foreign investment and building relationships with foreign governments and companies. Since they also associated with the United States and European nations as members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations,........

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