"THE Japanese Ambassador to Myanmar, Mr. Maruyama, said Japan would not support efforts by the international community to put pressure on Myanmar on the Rakhine issue. He made the remarks to the media during an interview about the Official Development Assistance for Myanmar (ODA) at the Ambassador’s residence in Bahan, Yangon, at 10 a.m. yesterday. “We cannot agree to the international community applying pressure or taking action against Myanmar concerning the Rakhine issue. Things will become more complicated. The Rakhine issue is an enormously complicated one. The Japanese government’s stand is to work with the Myanmar government for the good of all,” he said. He added that if the displaced persons in Bangladesh return, Japan would provide assistance to give them food, education, training, and assistance to get jobs. “The Rakhine issue is complicated in many different ways. Although the Myanmar government has worked hard, it has yet to achieve success. Not only the Myanmar public, but the international community needs to know the efforts being made by the Myanmar government for Rakhine State. This is what we want to see. It is also important to show the international community that they are actually cooperating with the UN organizations working hard,” he said. He added that the Japanese government would assist Myanmar in electric power generation and building road networks, which are vital for the development of Rakhine State. It was reported that the Japanese government had earmarked Yen 8 billion as assistance to Myanmar over a 5-year period, and they have already spent Yen 5 billion on development projects. The remaining 3 billion yen will be used in projects to eliminate poverty in the country. It is learnt that Rakhine State is included in these projects..."