BANGKOK, Sept 10 — Japanese local government representatives from Aichi prefecture and Thailand’s Department of Industrial Promotion signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) today to jointly promote small and medium-enterprises here.
Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura said that 284 companies from Aichi operate 416 factories in Thailand as Japan sees plenty of business opportunities because Thailand is the centre of Southeast Asia and the ASEAN Community will soon be implemented.
Surveys found that Aichi investors considered Thailand as their most favourable destination.
He said the MoU should encourage SMEs in Thailand and Aichi to cooperate more with each other because Thailand is a good investment destination and its GDP per capita was rising and would thus expanding consumption.
Mr Omura also said that Aichi opened its overseas industrial information centre in Thailand and the overseas opening was the first in ten years of Aichi.
He hoped that the centre will facilitate Aichi investment in Thailand and the Thai government would create promising atmosphere for its investors.
Atchaka Sibunruang, director-general of the Department of Industrial Promotion, said Aichi was the sixth local government unit in Japan to sign such an MoU with the Ministry of Industry.
She expected four more Japanese prefectures to follow suit by the end of the year, which would raise the number of local Japanese governments cooperating with the Thai ministry to 10 prefectures.
Aichi is a central prefecture and a metropolis, smaller only than Osaka and Tokyo.
The preThere are automotive, aviation, textile and ceramics industries. Toyota Motor Corp is located there. Aichi is also Japan’s biggest aircraft parts production base in Japan.
