Myanmar charges Japanese journalist with spreading fake news

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military government says a Japanese video journalist detained while covering a brief pro-democracy march has been charged with violating a law against spreading false or alarming news. Toru Kubota, a Tokyo-based documentary filmmaker, was arrested Saturday by plainclothes police after taking photos of the protest. He is the latest of about 140 journalists arrested since the military seized power last year from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. More than half have been released, but the media remains under tight restrictions. The army’s takeover was opposed by widespread peaceful protests that were suppressed with lethal force. Opposition continues with peaceful flash protests in cities and towns, and armed resistance in the countryside.