A Japanese ruling party lawmaker has met with Myanmar's junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, according to Myanmar state media, days after a Japanese documentary filmmaker was arrested while covering a protest in Yangon, Reuters reports.

Hiromichi Watanabe, a member of Japan's more powerful lower house of representatives for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, was in Myanmar from 7 to 12 August, his office confirmed to the news agency on Friday. The office did not comment on the purpose of the trip.

Tokyo has called for the release of filmmaker Toru Kubota, 26, who entered Myanmar on a tourist visa and was arrested on 30 July, alongside two Myanmar participants, at a protest in Yangon.

Kubota faces charges of breaking an immigration law and encouraging dissent against the ruling junta, Reuters notes.

The Myanmar junta has cracked down on independent media coverage in their wake of their February 2021 coup. Many journalists have been arrested and several killed over the last 18 months.

The Myanmar junta recently made a statement calling on foreign visitors to adhere to the conditions of their visa when visiting the country. This is viewed by observers as a veiled threat to foreign journalists who might be tempted to report while holding a tourist or non-media visa.