Joint Press Statement
The Fourth Meeting of the Japan - Thailand
High Level Joint Commission (HLJC), Tokyo, 18 July 2018

   The Fourth Meeting of the Japan - Thailand High Level Joint Commission (HLJC) was held on 18 July 2018 in Tokyo. It was co-chaired by His Excellency Mr. Yoshihide Suga, Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, and His Excellency Dr. Somkid Jatusripitak, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand. The discussions covered a broad range of economic cooperation issues as follows;

1. Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP11), The Thai side reiterated Thailand's intention to join the TPP11, and the Japanese side reaffirmed its full support for the preparation process in joining the said agreement. Both sides will accelerate working-level consultation between Thailand’s Department of Trade Negotiations and Japan’s Government Headquarters for the TPP.

2. Japan - Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement (JTEPA), Both sides reaffirmed the importance of JTEPA and their intention to conclude the general review process of JTEPA with a view to upgrading JTEPA to a higher standard, serving as a basis of the strategic economic partnership between Thailand and Japan.. Both sides shared the view that the general review of JTEPA will proceed to build a win-win partnership reflecting economic development of, and cooperation between the Kingdom of Thailand and Japan during 10 years since the JTEPA entered into force.

3. Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Both sides reiterated the immense potential of RCEP, and will  work closely towards early conclusion of a high-quality RCEP based on the Joint Leader’s  Statement on the Negotiations for RCEP on 14 November 2017.

4. Industrial Cooperation for Thailand 4.0 and EEC, Both sides reaffirmed the continuous  cooperation  on upgrading industrial structure including human resource development and Smart Cities transformation based on the concept of ‘Connected Industries’. The Thai side reiterated its strong commitment to pursue the EEC projects and to welcome and support Japanese investors in the EEC. In this regard, both sides welcomed the exchange of Framework Document on Connected Industries between Ministry of Industry of Thailand and Ministry of Economy, Trade,  and Industry of Japan.

5. Railway cooperation, Both sides expressed determination to continue driving forward railway development projects in Thailand. The Japanese side committed to cooperate with the Thai side in the area of Human Resource Development, to support railway industries in Thailand.

6. Ayeyawady - Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) Master Plan and Mekong-Japan Cooperation, The Japanese side welcomed the ACMECS Master Plan recently endorsed at the 8^th ACMECS Summit in June this year. The Thai side welcomed Japan’s deep interest to cooperate with Thailand in enhancing the Mekong-Japan cooperation which would complement the ACMECS Master Plan, particularly in the early phase of its implementation which highlights the East West Economic Corridor and Southern Economic Corridor. In this regard, both sides will strive towards promoting greater connectivity and sustainable development in Mekong sub-region.

7. Human Resource Development (HRD), The Japanese side determined to cooperate with the Thai side in the area of HRD based on the Japan-Thailand Industrial Human Resource Cooperation Initiative especially in training engineers in targeted industries. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to steadily work on establishing the first-ever Japanese style institute for engineering/technology, namely ‘KOSEN’ in Thailand.

8. Local-to-local cooperation, Both sides welcomed the development of local-to-local cooperation between Thailand and Japan, and look forward to discussing further on potential areas of cooperation to achieve tangible and mutually beneficial outcomes. Both sides also welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Board of Investment of Thailand and Mie Prefecture to promote such cooperation.