Thailand–Japan ties at a crossroads

For the past four decades, Thailand-Japan ties have been smooth as silk, reflecting the Japanese concept of ishin denshin, an idiom that describes communication without words. That idiom reflects a very good relationship, a deep mutual understanding between the two parties.

- Kavi Chongkittavorn

A man with Thai and Japanese national flags painted on his cheeks joins a mini-marathon held in Bangkok on March 12, 2012, to mark the first anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands and set off a nuclear crisis in Japan.

(PATIPAT JANTHONG)

But while Japan has long been a longstanding and trusted partner, today the unshakable relationship is at a turning point. Japan needs to recalibrate its approach to Thailand, as it has to other countries in the region.

Since the mid-1970s, Japan has been riding a high wave of popularity in Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asia. Tokyo has played a decisive role in boosting Thailand's economic profile through investment, helping lay the foundation for industrial development, especially in automobiles and electronics. Thailand is nicknamed the “Detroit of Asia” thanks to Japan's economic investment totalling 4 trillion baht during the past decades.

Given the current geopolitical shifts, Japan’s global profile has also changed under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. She has shown no qualms about her new government's diplomacy, which will strengthen the alliance with the US and promote a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific”

Lest we forget, Japan was the first country to respond to the Asean Outlook for the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), which was introduced in Bangkok in 2019. Japan worked very hard to align with the regional approach to the broader Indo-Pacific, with Asean, and a year later, Japan issued a joint statement on their cooperation under this framework.

It remains to be seen how the Takaichi government will popularise the FOIP and AOIP. Asean’s strategy is about inclusive engagement with all major powers, without prejudice.