Japan backs Thailand as ASEAN Economic Community hub
By Digital Media

BANGKOK, March 29 – Japan fully advocates Thailand’s vision to become the hub of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) given the country’s capability as a business springboard for the Mekong region, according to the Japanese ambassador to Bangkok.

Shigekazu Sato also urged Thailand to support Japanese investment in the kingdom and create additional mechanisms to enhance bilateral trade and cooperation.

Speaking Thursday he said that Thailand should find additional measures, besides the Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement (JTEPA), to encourage more Japanese investment in the country. JTEPA is a free-trade agreement between the two countries.

Mr Sato said Japanese auto investment in Thailand represents 90 per cent of the total auto industry with an investment value of 15 per cent. There are 1,400 Japanese companies and 50,000 citizens in Thailand.

Industry Minister Prasert Bunchaisuk, speaking at the seminar entitled “Thailand Upparalleled Opportunities,” said among the 1,584 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects which have a combined value of Bt647 billion, 872 projects are operated by the Japanese private sector with a total investment value of Bt373.985 billion or 57.7 per cent of the total FDI.

The Thai Board of Investment (BoI) has targeted applications for investment privileges at a total value of Bt600 billion this year and half of them will be foreign investments, he said.

BoI Secretary General Udom Wongviwatchai said Thailand will give more emphasis on new industries concerning the country's education base, innovation, alternative energy, medical equipment and logistics.

He said the Industry Ministry plans to build eight industrial estates for small- and medium enterprises in Thailand’s Northeast, the North, Central and Southern regions.

The seminar on Thursday was jointly organised by the BoI and Japan's Nikkei Business magazine and was attended by more than 200 Japanese businessmen in Thailand. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2013-03-29

More bad news for Yinglucks maladministration - yeh

Hubba Hubba

If there is anything more misleading than politics, it's diplomacy.

The Japanese promised Thailand the return of all its lost territories when they (Japan) strolled into Thailand as paying guests in 1940,That was a fine example of cheap political rhetoric,

Note that Thailand has already requested a delay in the full implementation of A.S.E.A.N. on the grounds of the fact that its business community in general is not as yet prepared for open markets and competition in trade, banking Insurance etc..

The Japanese are using the proposal as a goad to prod Thailand to move as timetabled, nothing more nothing less..

Edited March 29, 201313 yr by siampolee

The Japanese promised Thailand the return of all its lost territories when they (Japan) strolled into Thailand as paying guests in 1940,That was a fine example of cheap political rhetoric,

Note that Thailand has already requested a delay in the full implementation of A.S.E.A.N. on the grounds of the fact that its business community in general is not as yet prepared for open markets and competition in trade, banking Insurance etc..

The Japanese are using the proposal as a goad to prod Thailand to move as timetabled, nothing more nothing less..

When you consider that most of Thailands important business is controlled by a few families its understandable why they dont want ASEAN and Thaksin does.

The Japanese promised Thailand the return of all its lost territories when they (Japan) strolled into Thailand as paying guests in 1940,That was a fine example of cheap political rhetoric,

Note that Thailand has already requested a delay in the full implementation of A.S.E.A.N. on the grounds of the fact that its business community in general is not as yet prepared for open markets and competition in trade, banking Insurance etc..

The Japanese are using the proposal as a goad to prod Thailand to move as timetabled, nothing more nothing less..

Maybe so, but if phuket is anything to go by, the problem will be non thai's setting up in competition with the locals, and the locals complaints of "them taking our jobs" etc etc!

The Japanese promised Thailand the return of all its lost territories when they (Japan) strolled into Thailand as paying guests in 1940,That was a fine example of cheap political rhetoric,

Note that Thailand has already requested a delay in the full implementation of A.S.E.A.N. on the grounds of the fact that its business community in general is not as yet prepared for open markets and competition in trade, banking Insurance etc..

The Japanese are using the proposal as a goad to prod Thailand to move as timetabled, nothing more nothing less..

Maybe so, but if phuket is anything to go by, the problem will be non thai's setting up in competition with the locals, and the locals complaints of "them taking our jobs" etc etc!

Nothing a road block organised by taxi/tuk tuk mafia or mom & pop store owners can't sort out then:-)

The Japanese promised Thailand the return of all its lost territories when they (Japan) strolled into Thailand as paying guests in 1940,That was a fine example of cheap political rhetoric,

Note that Thailand has already requested a delay in the full implementation of A.S.E.A.N. on the grounds of the fact that its business community in general is not as yet prepared for open markets and competition in trade, banking Insurance etc..

The Japanese are using the proposal as a goad to prod Thailand to move as timetabled, nothing more nothing less..

Maybe so, but if phuket is anything to go by, the problem will be non thai's setting up in competition with the locals, and the locals complaints of "them taking our jobs" etc etc!

Probably not as loud as the compaints of government ineptitude for letting it happen.

More bad news for Yinglucks maladministration - yeh

You think the Japs really give a toss which government is in power?

The Japanese promised Thailand the return of all its lost territories when they (Japan) strolled into Thailand as paying guests in 1940,That was a fine example of cheap political rhetoric,

Note that Thailand has already requested a delay in the full implementation of A.S.E.A.N. on the grounds of the fact that its business community in general is not as yet prepared for open markets and competition in trade, banking Insurance etc..

The Japanese are using the proposal as a goad to prod Thailand to move as timetabled, nothing more nothing less..

When you consider that most of Thailands important business is controlled by a few families its understandable why they dont want ASEAN and Thaksin does.

Thailand's protected inefficient and ineffective protected businesses, which have no idea about customer service will get slaughtered in open market competition, where they have to compete.

The Japanese promised Thailand the return of all its lost territories when they (Japan) strolled into Thailand as paying guests in 1940,That was a fine example of cheap political rhetoric,

Note that Thailand has already requested a delay in the full implementation of A.S.E.A.N. on the grounds of the fact that its business community in general is not as yet prepared for open markets and competition in trade, banking Insurance etc..

The Japanese are using the proposal as a goad to prod Thailand to move as timetabled, nothing more nothing less..

When you consider that most of Thailands important business is controlled by a few families its understandable why they dont want ASEAN and Thaksin does.

Thailand's protected inefficient and ineffective protected businesses, which have no idea about customer service will get slaughtered in open market competition, where they have to compete.

And that, sir, is it in a nutshell. For a long time, Thai businesses have been able to swivel the finger in front of customers' faces, safe in the knowledge that the competition will be equally as useless and apathetic, meaning customers just have to put up with it.

If this EU-style, barrier-removing supra-national legislation is implemented, it will very quickly be reversed here in Thailand. Indigenous labour, commerce and capital cannot and wil not compete.

The Japanese promised Thailand the return of all its lost territories when they (Japan) strolled into Thailand as paying guests in 1940,That was a fine example of cheap political rhetoric,

Note that Thailand has already requested a delay in the full implementation of A.S.E.A.N. on the grounds of the fact that its business community in general is not as yet prepared for open markets and competition in trade, banking Insurance etc..

The Japanese are using the proposal as a goad to prod Thailand to move as timetabled, nothing more nothing less..

When you consider that most of Thailands important business is controlled by a few families its understandable why they dont want ASEAN and Thaksin does.

Thailand's protected inefficient and ineffective protected businesses, which have no idea about customer service will get slaughtered in open market competition, where they have to compete.

And that, sir, is it in a nutshell. For a long time, Thai businesses have been able to swivel the finger in front of customers' faces, safe in the knowledge that the competition will be equally as useless and apathetic, meaning customers just have to put up with it.

If this EU-style, barrier-removing supra-national legislation is implemented, it will very quickly be reversed here in Thailand. Indigenous labour, commerce and capital cannot and wil not compete.

To be quite honest, I think that most of the revered financial minds in Thailand would have read that post, a small percentage would have nodded and maybe said 'wise words'

A slightly larger percentage would have called you a git, for making their schemes obvious.

Most of the population wouldn't have clue.

The Japanese are simply looking for a bigger cut of all that easy money sloshing about in Thailand so why not try a bit of ego massaging.

Don't want the Chinese getting it all.

About time the Japanese put their money where their mouth is, and finish that railway project they started so long ago.

Surin Farm is a small farm in Chiang Mai that wants to determine how to find the Japanese community and their buying habits in Chiang Mai. Farmers in Thailand know they are a major factor in the Asean tomorrow's world. Pig farms want to market Japanese Kurobuta Pig (on our website with that name) as they know that is the desire of this community. What is the buying mode of the Japanese when they are living in an Asian community? Do the communities stick together and only visit certain markets or are they open to purchasing within the Thai markets? How can Thai farmers market to the Japanese?

Thanks,

Randy