Japan canceled a multimillion- dollar grant to Myanmar on Oct. 16 to protest the junta's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, as a U.N. envoy pressed Asian nations to take the lead in resolving the Myanmar crisis.

A portrait of Kenji Nagai is displayed during his funeral ceremony in Tokyo on Oct. 8. AP PHOTO

Japan, Myanmar's largest aid donor, had earlier said it would suspend some assistance in response to the death of video journalist Kenji Nagai, among at least 10 people killed when troops fired into crowds of peaceful protesters during a crackdown that started in late September.

A junta mouthpiece, The New Light of Myanmar newspaper, published an editorial Oct. 14 that blamed Nagai for having "invited danger" by attending the protests.

In Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said the government was canceling a grant worth ¥552 million for a business education center, slated for the Yangon University campus.

Machimura said the decision was made in response to the violent crackdown and followed a U.N. statement condemning the violence.

In 2005, Japan provided grants totaling ¥1.3 billion and ¥1.7 billion in technology assistance, according to the latest ministry figures.

The U.N. Security Council recently issued its first-ever statement on Myanmar, condemning the brutal crackdown and calling for the release of all political prisoners.

The junta has been rounding up suspected dissidents since protests started in August. Several thousand are believed to have been detained, including Buddhist monks who led the protests, and there have been many reports of brutal treatment in custody.