TOKYO, Nov 5 (Reuters) – Japan’s Ministry of Finance has denied pushing for Myanmar to be removed from a global financial watchdog’s blacklist after Reuters reported last week that it was among countries supporting the removal.
Myanmar was added to the Financial Action Task Force’s blacklist in 2022 as the country was plunged into turmoil and widespread civil war following a military coup. The blacklist requires countries to apply enhanced screening to financial transactions with Myanmar to avoid money laundering and terrorist financing.
“There is no fact that the Japanese government sought to have Myanmar removed from the FATF blacklist. Japan hopes that Myanmar will make the necessary improvements to strengthen its measures against money laundering and related illicit activities,” the ministry said in a statement to Reuters.
Myanmar remained on the blacklist following a closed-door meeting of the 40-member global body in Paris on October 30. Japan did not state at the Paris meeting that it wanted Myanmar removed, the ministry said in its statement.
Reuters reported on Oct 30 that Japan was pushing for Myanmar’s removal, according to a senior Japanese government official and another person familiar with the matter. One of the people, reached by Reuters on Thursday, said they stood by their comments, while the other could not be immediately reached for comment.
A spokesperson for Myanmar’s military-backed government said in a message to Reuters on Saturday that various “friendly countries” were supporting its efforts to be removed from the list.
“The United States, China, Japan, India, South Korea, and Indonesia recognise Myanmar’s efforts. We are grateful to all of them for acknowledging Myanmar’s current progress,” the spokesperson added, without elaborating.
South Korea’s foreign ministry said it was “encouraging Myanmar to abide by FATF duties, and closely coordinating with FATF member countries on the issue”.
The government “is making efforts to strengthen the capabilities of countries that have not fully implemented FATF standards to combat money laundering and terrorist financing,” the ministry said.
All the other countries named by the spokesperson either declined to comment or did not respond to a request for comment.
Myanmar’s military-backed government did not immediately have comment on Japan’s denial that it was pushing to have Myanmar removed from the list.
(Reporting by Tokyo Bureau, Poppy McPherson in Bangkok and Hyunjoo Jin in Seoul; Editing by Neil Fullick)
