Japanese beverage giant Kirin has announced that it will review and reconsider its business partnership with the military (Tatmadaw). The announcement follows mounting international pressure to sever ties with Myanmar Brewery, the country’s largest beer company, 45 percent of which is owned by Tatmadaw-backed Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL).

“The Kirin Group takes its responsibilities in Myanmar seriously and will take necessary action to ensure our business activities in the region adhere to the highest standards,” the company said in a statement. Kirin added that representatives have met with executives of MEHL to “discuss the issues identified in the August 2019 report by the United Nations Independent Fact-Finding Mission in Myanmar.”

That report accused Kirin of directly funding human rights abuses against Rohingya Muslims through donations it made to the Tatmadaw. However, Kirin insists that most of the donation money went towards developing civilian communities.

Kirin has felt growing international pressure to comply with the report’s call for a boycott of all Tatmadaw-backed business. It is possible that the International Court of Justice ruling that the Tatmadaw had acted in violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention pushed Kirin to officially review its Myanmar investments.

If Kirin does pull out of Myanmar Brewery, it would be the largest company to do so following the ICJ case, which was initially filed by the Gambia in December. In another notable example, Western Union cut ties with the Tatmadaw-owned Myawaddy Bank. However, the true economic impact of the ICJ ruling remains to be seen, especially as Myanmar has spent the last two years focusing on partnerships with its Asian neighbors, especially China, which is less concerned with the humanitarian situation on Myanmar’s western border.