Myanmar arrests Japanese national as military junta extends state of emergency

An official at the Japanese embassy in Myanmar has confirmed that one of its citizens has been detained in the country’s commercial capital Yangon, the latest foreigner ensnared in the military-ruled nation. Japanese media have reported that filmmaker Toru Kubota, 26, was detained near an anti-government rally, along with two Myanmar citizens. Meanwhile, the country’s military junta announced on July 31, 2022, that it will extend its state of emergency for another six months until February 1, 2023. The junta declared a state of emergency after seizing power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup in February 2021.