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TOKYO: Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka flew to Myanmar Sunday to probe the killing of a Japanese journalist by troops during pro-democracy protests in Yangon.
Yabunaka said he would also press for the democratic process to move forward in Myanmar when he meets with military government leaders during a three-day visit.
The body of video journalist Kenji Nagai bore signs that he was shot at point-blank range and died almost instantly, according to his employer, who saw his remains in hospital.
Japan, one of Myanmar's leading donors, will demand the military government punish those responsible for the killing if it is found to have been deliberate, Japanese media reported on Saturday.
Yabunaka was seeking to meet with Foreign Minister Nyan Win, Home Affairs Minister Maung Oo and other Myanmar leaders, the foreign ministry said.
"I will seek a full account of the incident and demand safety guarantees for Japanese nationals," Yabunaka told reporters at Tokyo's Narita airport. "I want to tell them to hold a dialogue with pro-democracy forces and pave the way for democracy."
Tokyo is considering such actions as recalling its ambassador and reducing or suspending technical assistance to the country, Kyodo News said.
Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said he wanted the deputy minister to meet Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as well as military government leaders.
"I want them to discuss thoroughly how the democratic process will move. I think our government will decide what to do after hearing a report on the discussions," Komura told reporters.
Nagai, 50, covered trouble spots around the world for the Tokyo-based video news service APF News. He was the first foreigner killed in Myanmar's bloody crackdown on anti-government protests.
APF News president Toru Yamaji, 46, met on Saturday with a doctor who carried out a post mortem examination on the journalist, according to the company.
"Mr. Nagai was shot point-blank at about one metre (three feet) range and he was in an instant-death situation," Yamaji quoted the doctor as telling him, according to APF News staff in Tokyo.
"He was presumed to have been struck by a single bullet which entered his body from the left side of his back and pierced through the right chest breaking a few ribs," Yamaji was quoted as saying.
Yamaji later told the staff that the accurate range should be measured by checking for gunpowder residue on Nagai's clothing because the doctor only gave a rough estimate of "one to two metres," APF News official Hiroaki Katayama said.
Nagai's video camera, which was seen clutched in his hand when he was felled by gunfire, has been missing and may have been confiscated by the authorities, Katayama quoted the APF News president as saying.
"I came face to face with Mr. Nagai and the reality of his death sank in again. I stared into his face for some time before telling him, 'Let's call it a day and come home together,'" Yamaji was quoted as saying.
Japan in 2003 suspended low-interest loans for major projects, such as infrastructure, to protest against the continued detention of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
But Japan says aid continues for emergencies and humanitarian purposes. - AFP/ac
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