Japanese firms to continue investing in Thailand

BANGKOK, January 28 (TNA) - The Japanese Chamber of Commerce (JCC) has confirmed that Japanese private firms want to continue investing in Thailand. Setsuo Iuchi, Chairman of the JCC Economic Survey Team, told journalists on Tuesday that, based on a recent survey, Japanese private companies will continue to be Thailand's partners and do their businesses in the Thai economy, but they would like Thai political disturbances to end as soon as possible. Iuchi acknowledged that Japanese companies which plan new projects or business expansion in Thailand are monitoring the domestic political situation, cautioning that the domestic political situation has reduced business trips to Thailand and, thus, affected hotels and tourism in the country. The JCC chair assessed, however, that the negative impacts should mainly limited to domestic tourism because business operators are still able to contact customs and other authorities in Thailand. The JCC chair noted that Japanese investors have not changed their attitudes towards Thailand as their production bases, but if domestic political problems persist, they may change their mind. According to the JCC chair, a recent survey on Japanese joint ventures in Thailand found that 73 per cent of them wanted the Thai government to maintain security and political stability, 46 per cent wanted better customs processes, 44 per cent called for infrastructure development in Bangkok and nearby provinces and 36 per cent demanded effective flood prevention. (TNA)