Leaders put the finishing touches on a deal that will see Japan forgive some $3.7 billion in debt owed by Myanmar's government.<br/> <br />Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda says Tokyo has also agreed to offer new loans to the deeply impoverished country, once an international pariah.<br/> <br />Run by the military for five decades, last year Myanmar surprised critics by launching a series of democratic reforms, prompting the West to ease sanctions.<br/> <br />Myanmar President Thein Sein, one of the architects of that transformation, thanked Japan for the gesture.<br/> <br />He said it would help the country continue democratic reforms and launch development projects.<br/> <br />Thein's visit to Tokyo is the first by a Myanmar head of state in almsot three decades.<br/> <br />Andrew Raven, Reuters.
