Thai PM expects good cooperation from the Japanese business sector

BANGKOK, March 7 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra expects good cooperation from the Japanese business sector, after her meeting with key Japanese business persons in Japan Wednesday. The prime minister, who is paying an official visit to Japan from March 6-10, met the chair of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) Wednesday afternoon, during which she discussed the Thai government assistance for Japanese businesses during a massive flooding in Thailand late last year and exchanged views on bilateral trade and investment promotions and also thanked the JCCI for helping organize activities to promote the Thai-Japanese networking of seven businesses. The Thai prime minister then delivered a speech to thank Japan for helping Thailand during last year’s flooding and called for good cooperation between Thai and Japanese operators to secure supply chains, stimulate consumption and promote fair and sustainable growth. Representatives of Gakushuin Women’s College then met the Thai prime minister and handed 1,000 paper cranes made by students of the college to show their gratitude for Thailand's assistance for victims of Japanese tsunami and earthquake in March last year. Earlier in the day, the Thai prime minister and her entourage met key tour operators of Japan and discussed tourism promotion. Premier Yingluck promised to cooperate on mutual tourism promotion, especially for disaster-affected areas and the Japanese tour operators said they expect 1.2 million Japanese people to visit Thailand this year. The Thai prime minister also met the chair of Japan Finance Corporation this morning, when she stressed that small and medium-scaled enterprises of Japan played important roles in promoting industries in Thailand and Japan and also promised her government will do the best to help flood victims, noting that her government is arranging for loans worth 382 billion baht to help flood victims. (TNA)