On 11 August 2021, H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, and H.E. Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, will co-chair the 5th Meeting of the Japan - Thailand High Level Joint Commission (HLJC) via teleconference. The Meeting will be attended by relevant economic Ministers of the Thai and Japanese sides, including H.E. Mr. Saksayam Chidchob, Minister of Transport of Thailand, H.E. Mr. Anek Laothamatas, Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation of Thailand, H.E. Mr. Newin Chochaiyathip, Vice Minister of Digital Economy and Society of Thailand, H.E. Mr. Dheerayut Varnitshang, Vice Minister of Industry of Thailand, H.E. Mr. KUMADA Hiromichi, State Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan, H.E. Mr. NAGASAKA Yasumasa, State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, H.E. Mr. WATANABE Takeyuki, State Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan, and senior representatives from concerned agencies.

The HLJC is a high-level mechanism between Thailand and Japan to discuss policy directions for economic cooperation between the two countries. The HLJC was established in 2015 by then Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, H.E. Mr. Somkid Jatusripitak, and then Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, H.E. Mr. SUGA Yoshihide, who is presently the Prime Minister of Japan. Since then, both sides have convened four Meetings of the HLJC.

On the occasion of the 5th Meeting of the HLJC, H.E. Mr. SUGA Yoshihide, Prime Minister of Japan, as the co-founder and former co-chair of the HLJC, has conveyed his special message to the meeting as follows: “I am delighted that the 5th Meeting of Japan-Thailand High Level Joint Commission will be convened under the new co-chairmanship of Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan and Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand. I wish that, under the common challenges from COVID-19 faced by Japan and Thailand, both sides will engage in substantial discussions with a view to building back stronger and further advancing the economic partnership for both Japan and Thailand.”

During the Meeting, the co-chairs and relevant Ministers of both sides will discuss economic cooperation to support sustainable economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic in three (3) key areas, namely: (1) Collaboration between Thailand’s Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) Economic Model and Japan’s Green Growth Strategy; (2)Cooperation in Trade, Investment, Industrial Development and Enhancement of Business Environment; and (3) Cooperation for Connectivity Enhancement, Development of the Mekong Sub-region, and Healthcare Field.

In addition, four (4) agreements are expected to be signed, which will be among the key deliverables of the Meeting. These are:

(1) Memorandum of Cooperation on Postal Cooperation between the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society of Thailand and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan, with the objective of enhancing information and data sharing channels and postal service quality between the two countries;

(2) Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Public Health of the Kingdom of Thailand, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation of the Kingdom of Thailand and the Ministry of Industry of the Kingdom of Thailand, and the Office of Healthcare Policy, the Cabinet Secretariat of Japan, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan in the field of Healthcare, which will serve as a framework for healthcare cooperation between Thailand and Japan, especially in the fields of medical, public health infrastructural development, vaccine, medical device industry, universal health coverage and medical human resource development;

(3) Memorandum of Understanding on Technology Research and Development Cooperation between the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Thailand, and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), Japan, which will be a framework to deepen collaboration in technologies and innovations of Bio-Circular-Green Economy for sustainable and eco-friendly economic growth based on the complementarities between Thailand’s BCG Economy Model and Japan’s Green Growth Strategy; and

(4) Memorandum of Cooperation on Lean IoT Plant Management and Execution (LIPE) between the Department of Industrial Promotion, Ministry of Industry of Thailand, Digital Economy Promotion Agency (“depa”), Ministry of Digital Economy and Society of Thailand, and the Trade Policy Bureau and Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, which will help Thai manufacturers including SMEs strengthen capacity for the transition from industrial production to smart factory oriented manufacture through human resource development as well as the implementation of technologies, IoT, and data exchanges with reasonable investment.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, as host of the 5th Meeting of HLJC, will broadcast the opening remarks delivered by the co-chairs and the signing and exchanging of memoranda ceremony during the Meeting on 11 August 2021, during 11.00-11.14 hrs. (Thailand’s local time) via the Ministry’s Facebook Live (http://www.facebook.com/ThaiMFA). The Meeting will be conducted in Thai and Japanese languages with consecutive translation.