The Japanese government announced in late December that it will launch an aid program to help internally displaced people (IDP) in Kachin State to return home, Nikkei Asian Review reported.

The Japanese program aims to assist people displaced by ethnic conflict, and is due to begin in the first half of 2020.

The Japanese government, together with the non-profit Nippon Foundation, will contribute $5 million to help 3,000 people return to their villages who were forced to flee due to fighting between Myanmar troops and the Kachin Independent Army (KIA), the Nikkei report said.