On 23 May 2013, Mr. Surapong Tovichakchaikul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, met for the first time with Mr. Fumio Kishida, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Mr. Surapong was in Tokyo to attend the 19^th International Conference on "The Future of Asia" organized by Nikkei Inc. and the Japan Center for Economic Research.

The two sides expressed their satisfaction with Thai-Japanese relations and their determination to strengthen this important partnership, which is built not only on mutual economic interests but also shared values. The two sides also exchanged views on regional issues and discussed cooperation to strengthen regional peace and prosperity.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Surapong expressed Thailand’s wish to step up cooperation with Japan in the area of human resource development to build a more highly skilled workforce in Thailand, which would also benefit Japanese investors.  He also hoped to see the participation of the Japanese private sector in Thailand’s 2.2-trillion-baht infrastructure development projects, where the emphasis would be on transparency and application of appropriate technologies.

The two sides discussed possible Japanese investment in the Dawei Special Economic Zone project.  Mr. Surapong noted that Japan as well as other countries in the region would benefit from the linkage of the Indian and Pacific Oceans through the East-West Economic Corridor, which would lower logistics costs and allow tighter supply chains. 

The two sides noted with satisfaction that the 40^th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan Dialogue relations in 2013 would be marked by several commemorative activities and were pleased that Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra would be attending the ASEAN-Japan Commemorating Summit Meeting towards the end of the year.

Foreign Minister Kishida informed the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister that Japan was bidding to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and hoped to receive Thailand’s support in this endeavour.

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