Myanmar coup: do India and Japan have the will or the leverage to exert pressure on the military regime?

With the US State Department naming Japan and India as countries it is consulting as Washington forms its response to the Myanmar coup, attention has turned to the ties the Asian nations have with the military leadership and whether Tokyo and New Delhi have the will and leverage to exert pressure on the regime.
Washington on Tuesday condemned the coup, saying it was reviewing aid and existing sanctions on military officers in Myanmar, while Japan also described the Monday detention of elected leader
Aung San Suu Kyi and other officials as a coup and urged the military to reverse its actions.

Myanmar police have since filed charges against Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint, detaining the former until February 15 for investigations.

Asked on Wednesday if Japan would continue providing the millions of dollars in aid it sends to Myanmar annually, government spokesperson Katsunobu Kato said: “We will consider our response while we keep watching the situation.” In contrast, India refrained from using the word “coup” and stressed that the “rule of law and the democratic process must be upheld”.

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