NAY PYI TAW, October 11
Chairman of Nippon Foundation Mr. Yohei SASAKAWA and Chairman of Japan-Myanmar Friendship Association Mr. Hideo WATANABE hosted a dinner in honour of the Myanmar Tatmadaw goodwill delegation led by Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing in Japan at Hoon no ma hall of New Otani Hotel on 10 October evening. Present at the dinner together with the Senior General were Lt-Gen Nyo Saw and Lt-Gen Soe Htut of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief (Army), Myanmar Ambassador to Japan U Myint Thu, Myanmar Military Attaché (Army, Navy and Air) Col Tin Soe and party. Japanese Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister member of the House of Representatives Mr. Taro Aso of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Vice Chief of Staff, Joint Staff of the Japan Self-Defence Forces Lieutenant General Masuko Yutaka, the chairman of Nippon Foundation and the chairman of Japan-Myanmar Friendship Association were accompanied by Japanese cabinet members, the retired Minister for Defence, retired Foreign Affairs Ministers, retired Chief of Staff, Joint Staff Mr. Shigeru Iwasaki, Head of Komeito Party of Japan and member of the House of Councillors Mr. Natsuo Yamaguchi, Head of the major opposition the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) and member of the House of Representatives Mr. Yukio Edano, officials from the Japanese govern-ment and officials from various fields for Japan-Myanmar cooperation.
First, the chairman of Nippon Foundation, the chairman of Japan-Myanmar Friendship Association and officials welcomed the Senior General and party. Chairman of Nippon Foundation Mr. Yohei SASAKAWA, Myanmar Ambassador U Myint Thu, Chairman of Japan-Myanmar Friendship Asso-ciation Mr. Hideo WATANABE, Head of Komeito Party of Japan and member of the House of Councillors Mr. Natsuo Yamaguchi, Head of the major opposition the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) and member of the House of Representatives Mr. Yukio Edano, Minister for Health, Labour and Social Security of Japan Mr. Katsunobu Kato, retired Defence Minister Mr. Itsunori Onodera and Japanese Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister member of the House of Representatives Mr. Taro Aso of LDP extended greetings. In his greetings, the Senior General expressed his heartfelt thanks to the chairmen of Nippon Foundation and Japan-Myanmar Friendship Association and Japanese officials for their earnest assistance in helping Myanmar with its peace efforts. It is the duty of today’s people to create a better future by learning lessons from the past. Japan’s financial aid can be measured in terms of amount but its aid without strings attached and lack of pressure are priceless. The Senior General said bringing representatives from different organizations together with common goal towards Myanmar is honourable as well as in-valuable. After the dinner, the Senior General exchanged gifts with the chairmen of Nippon Foundation and Japan-Myanmar Friendship Association and retired Chief of Staff, Joint Staff Mr. Shigeru Iwasaki.
