Kono told a press briefing in Myanmar’s capital city of Naypyitaw thatduring an hour-long meeting with Suu Kyi, he noted recent steps taken by theMyanmar government on the issue, such as cooperating with the United Nationsand forming a commission to investigate allegations of human rights abuses inRakhine state.
The Japanese Foreign Minister also urged the Myanmar government tocooperate with the United Nations in accommodating returning refugees.
Kono also affirmed that the Japanese government will continue to helpsolve problems by joining hands with Myanmar people and in close discussionswith Suu Kyi.
For her part, Suu Kyi told reporters that the two officials had"frank" discussions over the "Rakhine issue" and expressedher appreciation to Japan for its approach to the issue as well as its effortsto find out ways to help solve Myanmar’s problem.
Kono arrived in Naypyitaw on August 5 after attending the 51st ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM 51) and related meetings in Singapore.
The Japanese Foreign Minister met with Myanmar President Win Myint on August6 morning before meeting Suu Kyi. He is scheduled to visit Bangladesh afterMyanmar, as part of his three-nation tour of the region.
According to the United Nations, more than 720,000 Rohingya people have fledto neighboring Bangladesh from the northern State of Rakhine since the Myanmarmilitary launched a harsh crackdown last August in reprisal for attacks onsecurity posts by Rohingya militants.
In June 2018, the Myanmar government reached an agreement with the UnitedNations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Refugee Agency(UNHCR) to cooperate in repatriating Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh.-VNA