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TOKYO: A Japanese man who Thursday became the first foreigner killed in protests in Myanmar was a video journalist and was hit by a stray bullet, his employer said.
Kenji Nagai, 50, was working for APF News, a video and photo agency based in Tokyo, the company said.
Nagai worked on a contract and was dispatched in the past to trouble spots.
He had entered Myanmar two days ago on the eve of the crackdown against the mass protests led by thousands of Buddhist monks, the company said.
"The last time we had contact with him was shortly after noon today," Toru Yamaji, the chief of the agency, told reporters in Tokyo.
"He said the situation was still relatively quiet, so he said he would look around a little bit more," he said.
"We were supposed to receive a call from him this evening. But we didn't."
He said Myanmar informed the Japanese foreign ministry, which in turn contacted the news agency.
"We received information that a Japanese national who got killed by a stray bullet was found to hold a passport bearing the name Kenji Nagai, which is the same name of the reporter that we have a contract with," Yamaji said.
A foreign ministry official said an embassy official confirmed that the dead man was carrying a Japanese passport with him.
At least four protesters were killed on Wednesday as security forces launched a crackdown on growing anti-government protests.
On Thursday, security forces swept through the city centre of Yangon, arresting hundreds of people.
Japan has cordial relations with Myanmar, with the government shunning the approach of its Western allies to impose sanctions on the military government.
According to Japan's foreign ministry, a total of 635 Japanese live in Myanmar. Japanese media have also been active in reporting on the country, which has shut itself to foreign journalists amid the major protests.
Japan, which is a top donor to Myanmar, on Thursday summoned the government's ambassador to protest the crackdown.
"Something deplorable is happening there," Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda told reporters before the ambassador, Saw Hla Min, visited the Japanese foreign ministry in the evening. "We must consider what on earth we should do to resolve the situation." - AFP/ac
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