BANGKOK: A court in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, on Monday handed down a one-year prison sentence to a Japanese who has been dispatched to the Southeast Asian country by Japanese retailer Aeon Co., diplomatic sources said.

The Aeon employee, Hiroshi Kasamatsu, 53, had been charged with violating the country’s law on daily necessities and services for selling rice at prices higher than levels set by the military regime.

The court is under the control of the military regime.

This is believed to be the first time that a Japanese national employed by a Japanese company has been sentenced to a prison term in connection with business activities in Myanmar since the 2021 coup by the country’s military.

Although the Japanese government has been seeking the early release of Kasamatsu, who was detained by the military regime on June 30, his detention is feared to be prolonged.

According to the diplomatic sources, Kasamatsu is currently detained at the Insein prison in Yangon.

Aeon released a comment saying that the company will do its best to have Kasamatsu released at an early date.

Kasamatsu is head of the product department at Aeon’s supermarket joint venture in Myanmar. He was indicted on July 11.

His trial proceeded at a fast pace, with several hearings held in a week. A person familiar with the matter criticized the procedure, saying, “He was to be incriminated from the beginning.”

Myanmar’s economy is in turmoil due to ongoing fighting between the country’s military and resistance forces, and prices of rice and other products have been rising in the country.

In order to deflect discontent among citizens over high prices, the military government has set product prices at levels lower than reality and is tightening control by cracking down on businesses that sell products at higher prices.

JIJI Press