‘Junta is ultimate beneficiary of hotel deal’

A CONSORTIUM of private Japanese firms and a Japanese state entity paid rent on a multimillion-dollar hotel and office development that ultimately went to Myanmar’s defence ministry, six company and government officials said.

It is the first time Japan has acknowledged the project benefits Myanmar’s defence ministry, which is controlled by the military under the country’s constitution. The payments, starting in 2017, are not illegal but are potentially embarrassing for Japan given UN investigators have alleged human rights abuses by Myanmar’s military.