The agreement will facilitate the transfer of defense hardware and technology from Japan to Thailand, which has one of the largest and most equipped armies in the region and a long history of ties to the United States military.
“This will help improve national defense and support Japanese investment in this activity, which is an important goal for Thailand,” Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha said in a joint statement read with Kishida.
Prayut said he had discussed improvements in supply chains and the establishment of a five-year economic partnership with Japan, Thailand’s largest investor.
Southeast Asia has been an important region for Japan for decades, hosting some of its biggest names in the industry, from infrastructure, engineering and industrial zones to the production of vehicles and electronics.
The region remains a battleground between the United States, a close ally of Japan, and rival China, Southeast Asia’s largest trading partner. During his three-day trip, Kishida visited Vietnam and Indonesia, where Japanese companies have a large presence.
As the leader of the only Asian member of the Group of Seven (G7), Kishida discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during a trip to Southeast Asia, where only one nation – Singapore – has joined sanctions against Moscow. Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation.”
However, nine Southeast Asian countries backed a UN resolution in March condemning the invasion, and Kishida thanked Prayut for supporting Thailand.
“I agreed with Prime Minister Prayut that the violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity or unilateral changes to the status quo by force should not be tolerated in any region,” he said.
Noriyuki Shikata, secretary of Japan’s public affairs cabinet, told reporters earlier Monday that Tokyo would lend 50 billion yen ($ 385 million) to support Thailand’s efforts to mitigate Covid-19.
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