PHNOM PENH: President of the Nippon Foundation, Yohei Sasakawa, paid a courtesy call to former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on the morning of October 11, 2023. There, he praised Hun Sen for transforming Cambodia from a war-torn country in severe crisis to a country of peace and development.

During the meeting, the Japanese businessman asked the former prime minister to share all of his achievements and experiences in leadership so that they could be documented and preserved as lessons for other leaders. The two sides also discussed issues in Myanmar, whose democratically elected government was violently overthrown by a military junta in 2021. So far, Hun Sen has been the only ASEAN leader to meet with the junta’s leader, saying he wants to improve the situation. The Japanese businessman said he appreciated the former PM’s abilities to provide insight to the situation because of its similarities to Cambodian history. He credited Hun Sen with turning Cambodia’s violent past into one of peace.

Yohei Sasakawa and Hun Sen agreed to travel to Myanmar together in the future to help resolve the situation.