Japan Joins Global Community in Hailing Release of Cambodian Soldiers as Ceasefire Momentum Builds

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (Dec. 31, 2025) — Japan on Wednesday joined a growing list of international partners in welcoming the release of 18 Cambodian soldiers detained in Thailand for 155 days, calling the move a positive step toward sustaining the Cambodia–Thailand ceasefire and easing border tensions.

Japanese Ambassador to Cambodia Ueno Atsushi said in a statement posted on the embassy’s official Facebook page that Tokyo hopes the ceasefire will hold.

“I welcome the release of the 18 Cambodian soldiers. I hope the ceasefire will be maintained and the tensions between Cambodia and Thailand will be further reduced. I wish everyone a Happy New Year,” he said.

Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence said the soldiers were freed at 10 a.m. Wednesday under the observation of the ASEAN Observer Team and the International Committee of the Red Cross. The soldiers had been captured during border clashes in July and were released in accordance with Point 11 of the Joint Statement of the 3rd Special General Border Committee Meeting, signed Dec. 27, which requires compliance with a 72-hour ceasefire.

Officials said the release also aligns with the Kuala Lumpur Joint Declaration on Peace, signed Oct. 26 by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and his Thai counterpart, under the witness of U.S. President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet and former Prime Minister Hun Sen both welcomed the soldiers’ return. Thousands of Cambodians lined roads from Pailin through Battambang to Phnom Penh to greet them.

The development follows similar statements from Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany and the International Committee of the Red Cross, all of which described the release as a critical confidence-building step toward lasting peace after the Cambodia–Thailand ceasefire.