Featured by NHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS : Documenting life under Myanmar’s junta - Toru Kubota
- torukubota
- 14 hours ago
- 3 min read
February 19, 2026
For over a decade, Japanese documentary filmmaker Kubota Toru has been focusing his lens on Myanmar. In 2022, he was imprisoned by the military regime for covering protests in the country. Now he's exploring other ways to expose the reality of life under the junta.
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In 2022, Japanese documentary filmmaker KUBOTA Toru was detained and imprisoned for covering the civilian protests in Myanmar against the military regime that took power in a coup the previous year. Following his release, it has not been possible for Kubota to re-enter Myanmar. But that hasn't stopped him. We spoke with Kubota to find out what he's doing now to support the people there.
Last December, KUBOTA Toru was out covering protests by immigrants from Myammar living in Tokyo. The demonstrators were protesting what they called the Sham general election conducted by the military regime in which pro-democracy candidates were excluded. Kubota later issued the footage as a short documentary.
KUBOTA Toru
"Just because 5 years have passed since the coup, I cannot agree that peace has returned, elections have been held, and that Myanmar has become a democracy. Every day we see news about the military conducting air strikes. That's why I think it's so important to speak out like this."
Kubota first visited Myamar in 2015 before the coup when he was a second year university student. He developed an interest in the situation facing the Rohingya, a Muslim minority in Myamar who have faced grave persecution. He returned frequently and shot several documentaries about the marginalized people in the country.
However, in 2021, the military staged a coup. This has led to major changes for people throughout Myamar. Before, there was definitely freedom of expression and a fairly free media. Young people had hopes of starting their own businesses and creating their own futures. But since the coup, those dreams have been throttled. People there no longer have any freedom, and their lives are no longer safe.
A year and a half after the coup, Kubota re-entered Myamar to report on the hardships facing the people there. It became a turning point in his life. While he was recording a protest against the military, he was caught in a crackdown by the junta.
KUBOTA Toru
" I greatly regret my decision to film that demonstration. I was worried about what happened to the people I'd been with up until then."
He was arrested and forced to pose holding a banner that had been used by the demonstrators. He was found guilty of incitement and other charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison. However, he was released after 3 and 1/2 months thanks in part to pressure from the Japanese government and the international community. Realizing that he might never be able to enter Myanmar again, an idea began to form in his mind.
KUBOTA Toru
"I wanted to do something using the medium of video and to help other people who are involved in reporting as a way to show what is happening in Myanmar."
Kubota turned his focus to a location near Thailand's border with Myanmar. Mae Sot has become a base for many journalists and filmmakers from Myanmar who have been forced to flee their country due to the crackdown by the regime.
Among them is Eunt Maw Oo. He fled to Thailand out of fear of being arrested by the authorities after shooting video of the crackdown and sharing his footage with foreign media.
Eunt Maw Oo:
"When I came to Thailand, I had to leave all my equipment behind. I wanted to shoot videos, but I didn't have a camera."
Two years ago, Kubota set up a base in Mae Sot to support journalists like Eunt Maw Oo. He began a project to lend them cameras free of charge. Besides accepting donations of equipment from Japan, he also teaches video skills. To date, he has provided cameras on more than 400 occasions.
Despite his setbacks, Kubota is not giving up on Myamar. I felt frustrated that I was unable to do what I had originally set out to do. But now I'm starting to understand a bit about the people involved. I realize there must be something more I can do. And I think there are many things we can do using video. We need to make sure that what is happening in Myanmar does not get forgotten.
I can only imagine what Kubota has been through in the course of his work to expose the situation under the junta. Videos by journalists that he has been supporting in Mae Sot can be viewed on the Docu Athan project website with English subtitles free of charge. The link is here behind me. The site also accepts donations.
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