Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun said she met Mr Otaka Masato, Japan’s Ambassador to Thailand, to discuss ways to strengthen economic, trade and investment cooperation as “comprehensive strategic partners”.
She said Thailand invited Japanese investors to expand investment in future industries, and proposed that both sides review the Thailand–Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (JTEPA) as soon as possible to better serve future trade needs.
Japan is Thailand’s third-largest trading partner, with supply chains that have complemented each other for many years. Suphajee said Thailand stands ready to be a source of high-quality agricultural and food products for Japan, including rice, processed chicken, and canned seafood. She also asked Japan to support increased imports of Thai rice as a gesture of goodwill.
She further asked the ambassador to help coordinate with Japanese trading firms in Thailand—the Sogo Shosha group—to distribute Thai products through their networks in Japan and worldwide.
On investment, she said Japan has consistently been Thailand’s top investor, with nearly 6,000 Japanese companies operating in Thailand. She invited Japanese investors and start-ups to invest in, or exchange knowledge in, Thailand—particularly in New S-Curve industries such as digital and AI, advanced semiconductors, next-generation vehicles, future food, clean energy, biotechnology, as well as health science and wellbeing. She also encouraged Japan to invest in R&D for hydrogen energy suited to tropical countries.