
Tokyo is seeking further collaboration with Thailand in developing the two nations' automobile industries, a Japanese trade official said on Wednesday.
The kingdom has long served as a supplier of automobile parts for Japan which has buoyed their industrial collaboration, said Tanaka Kazushige, director-general of the Trade Policy Department at Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).
"Japan and Thailand have been strong partners in industrial cooperation for over 60 years," Mr Tanaka said.
"We will continue to leverage this foundation to address challenges such as decarbonisation, ensuring Thailand maintains and strengthens its position as a hub for automotive production and export."
He was speaking to the press before the start of the Public-Private Automotive Business Forum, which aimed to find ways in which the two partners can work more closely together.
The forum was jointly held by the Japanese Embassy and METI at a hotel in Bangkok.
Mr Tanaka said the two sides should continue working together and strengthen their ties in the automobile industry.
He recommended they team up to collect supply chain data for a win-win result.
"Thailand wants to continue to be an export hub [for automobiles]. Thailand needs this kind of system because the market needs it. So, data on the supply chains of automobile producers is important,'' he added.
Mr Tanaka said this would give Thailand more market options and the country could produce more automobile supplies for both its domestic and international markets.
"Having better data will help Thailand become better in responding to the specific needs of each market abroad, such as Australia, which is very environmentally cautious."
"Data is very important to expand your exports. So the Japanese government would like to share its experience of collecting data [to help boost Thailand's exports], while still receiving sustainable supplies from Thailand,'' he said.
He said that both countries have traditionally bonded through training and sharing knowledge about automobile technology.
Japan will continue to work in this area while exchanging new knowledge about electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), Mr Tanaka said.
"We also need to [jointly] develop further training on automobile technology. If the Japanese government allows us to support this, we are more than happy to assist [the automobile industry] in Thailand,'' Mr Tanaka added.