Japan-Thailand Relations

On November 13, commencing at 1:35 p.m. for approximately 20 minutes, Mr. Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister, held a meeting with H.E. Mr. Prayuth Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, during his visit to Naypyidaw, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, for the ASEAN-related Summit Meetings. The overview of the meeting is as follows:

1. At the beginning, Prime Minister Abe stated that he was pleased to meet with Prime Minister Prayuth following the ASEM Summit Meeting held in October. Prime Minister Abe also mentioned that H.E. Mr. Prawit Wongsuwon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of Thailand, had visited Japan previous week and held meaningful meetings with Japanese cabinet members, and he would like to continue to promote exchanges and dialogues with Thailand.
2. Moreover, Prime Minister Abe expressed his expectation toward early restoration of democracy and at the same time conveyed his interest in infrastructure development, including high-speed train, in Thailand. Prime Minister Abe also called for a full abolition of restrictions on the import food from Japan at early stages imposed after the Great East Japan Earthquake in connection with radioactive materials as well as the importance of a fair and transparent investment environment for Japanese enterprises in Thailand.
3. In response, Prime Minister Prayuth gave an explanation on various efforts for reforms toward restoration of democracy and stated that he also wanted support from Japan. Moreover, regarding the restrictions on the import of food, Prime Minister Prayuth stated that he had decided to partially ease the restrictions and would discuss the remainder of the restrictions while confirming the safety of such food. Prime Minister Prayuth added that he would steadily work on the development of the investment environment as well. Furthermore, Prime Minister Prayuth gave an explanation on the railroad development plan in Thailand and the two leaders shared the view that the authorities of the two countries would discuss cooperation in the future. In addition, Prime Minister Prayuth expressed his expectation toward cooperation between the two countries in the fields of tourism, water manegement and energy.