Courtesy Call by Mr. Katsuya Okada, Deputy Prime Minister of Japan, on H.E. Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand

On Friday, April 20, Mr. Katsuya Okada, Deputy Prime Minister of Japan, paid a courtesy call on H.E. Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, for approximately 15 minutes from 6:15 p.m. An overview of the meeting is as follows (attending on the Thailand side were H.E. Dr. Surapong Tovichakchaikul, Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Ms Nalinee Taveesin, Minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office and H.E. Mr. Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan, Minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office, among others):

1. Prime Minister Yingluck expressed her gratitude for the support from Japan in the wake of the floods in Thailand. In response, Deputy Prime Minister Okada expressed his gratitude for the support from Thailand in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake and also stated that even after the floods, the importance of Thailand for Japanese enterprises had not been diminished.
   
   
2. Deputy Prime Minister Okada stated that there are many things that Japan and Thailand should do for the Mekong region and that therefore he would like to strengthen cooperative relations between the two countries. Prime Minister Yingluck stated that Japan is an indispensable partner for the development of the Mekong region and also stated that she would like to develop cooperation both on a two-country level and on a regional level in a concrete manner.