Japan, Myanmar reaffirm importance of independent investigation in Rakhine State

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday agreed upon the importance of conducting an independent investigation over the Rakhine state issue.

At a bilateral meeting in Tokyo, the two leaders discussed ways to enhance economic cooperation and the Rohingya crisis in Rakhine State at a bilateral meeting held after the 10th Mekong-Japan Summit in Tokyo.

Over the last year, more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Buddhist-majority Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh, according to UNagencies, following a military response to attacks on security posts by Rohingya insurgents.

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A recent UNreport accused Myanmar's military of gang rapes and mass killings with "genocidal intent" in Rakhine and called for its commander-in-chief and five generals to be prosecuted under international law.

Myanmar has denied most of the allegations in the report, blaming Rohingya "terrorists" for most accounts of atrocities.