"Japanese culture, including anime and movies, is currently enjoying a wave of popularity in Myanmar, particularly among the youth, and there is a sharp rise in people learning Japanese.Japan enjoys favorable relations with many countries worldwide. Due to its proximity to China and the Korean Peninsula, it is easy to gain an impression of anti-Japan sentiment, resulting from historical and territorial issues. But in fact, Japan has positive relations overall with the great majority of countries. Among these countries, one that stands out in particular for me is Myanmar, which I was recently able to visit. Now, the two countries are linked with daily direct flights, and there is much interest in investment by Japanese companies. But coverage of Myanmar in the Japanese media mainly relates to State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and the Rohingya crisis. The pro-Japan sentiment of the Burmese people receives little attention. In January and February 2019, a Japanese film festival was held in Yangon, Myanmar’s commercial capital, and Mandalay, its cultural capital. It screened recent Japanese films including an entry in the Chihayafuru series, Her Love Boils Bathwater, Honnōji Hotel, and the hit anime In This Corner of the World. Event organizers were surprised at the popularity, with over 20,000 attending, double the numbers from last year..."