Press Releases
Japan-Thailand Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
May 22, 2024
On May 22, commencing at 3:35 p.m. for approximately 55 minutes, Ms. KAMIKAWA Yoko, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a meeting with H.E. Mr. Maris Sangiampongsa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand during his visit to Japan. The overview is as follows.
- At the outset, Minister Kamikawa congratulated Minister Maris on his appointment as Foreign Minister and expressed her gratitude for the assistance received from Thailand in the wake of the Noto Peninsula earthquake. She also expressed her willingness to work closely with him to deepen the "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" between the two countries. In response, Minister Maris expressed his appreciation for the congratulation on his assuming office, and as a friend of Japan, he wishes for the recovery of the areas affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake as early as possible, and looks forward to cooperating with Minister Kamikawa to further develop bilateral relations.
- Regarding the bilateral relations, Minister Kamikawa expressed again her appreciation for Thailand’s decision to exempt Japanese business people visiting Thailand for a short period time from visa requirements, which was announced at the Japan-Thailand Summit meeting last December, and her willingness to accelerate the negotiations to conclude a Social Security Agreement that will contribute to improving the business environment in order to further promote investment. She also expressed her desire for close cooperation to further promote the people-to-people exchanges between two countries. In response, Minister Maris expressed his appreciation for the investment from Japan to Thailand so far, and also stated that the investment from Thailand to Japan has also been increasing and that he would like to further promote economic exchanges in both directions. In addition to economic cooperation, the two foreign ministers confirmed that they would also strengthen cooperation in the various areas.
- The two foreign ministers also exchanged views on regional and international affairs, including the situation in Myanmar, Gaza, and East Asia. In addition, Minister Kamikawa mentioned her efforts to promote Women, Peace and Security (WPS) strongly as one of the major diplomatic initiatives and expressed her willingness to work together to promote WPS.