Press Releases
Japan-Thailand Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and Working Lunch
On May 30, from 0:05 p.m., for approximately 40 minutes, Mr. IWAYA Takeshi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Mr. Maris Sangiampongsa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, who is visiting Japan to attend the Nikkei Forum 30th FUTURE OF ASIA. This was followed by a working lunch from 0:45 p.m. for approximately 60 minutes. The summary of the meeting is as follows:
1. Introduction
Minister Iwaya expressed his willingness to further deepen bilateral relations as "Comprehensive Strategic Partners" toward the 140th anniversary of Japan -Thailand diplomatic relations in 2027. In response, Minister Maris expressed his appreciation for the warm welcome during his visit to Japan and his intention to work closely with Minister Iwaya to further advance bilateral relations.
2. Bilateral Relations
- Minister Iwaya expressed his condolences for the damage caused by the earthquake in central Myanmar in March and stated Japan’s intention to continue cooperation by sharing expertise in disaster risk reduction.
- The two foreign ministers concurred on further strengthening economic ties between Japan and Thailand, a key hub for Japanese businesses, including the expansion of investments based on the outcomes of the Energy and Industry Dialogue held in April. They also confirmed continued cooperation in areas such as the development of advanced industrial human resources, science and technology, space, and decarbonization, as well as their commitment to advance negotiations on a social security agreement. Minister Iwaya stated that Japan strongly supports Thailand’s OECD accession process and noted that an OECD-organized AI workshop for Southeast Asian countries is planned to be held in Thailand.
- Given the current severe security environment, the two foreign ministers agreed to enhance cooperation in the field of security and confirmed their intention to realize the Official Security Assistance (OSA) cooperation.
3. Regional and international issues
- The two foreign ministers reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and strengthening the rule of law and a free and open multilateral free trading system toward realizing of a free and open Indo-Pacific. Based on this, they exchanged views on the situations in the East China Sea and South China Sea, Myanmar, Ukraine, as well as on North Korea-related issues, including nuclear and missile issues, and the abduction issues. They also discussed the impact of U.S. tariff measures on the global economy and the multilateral trading system.
- In addition, they discussed the promotion of international human rights and the combat against transnational organized crimes, including online frauds, and confirmed their commitment to closely cooperate in addressing global challenges.