Japan PM agrees defence deal with Thailand

The leaders of Japan and Thailand announced a new defence agreement yesterday as well as plans to upgrade their economic relations, as Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida wrapped up the last leg of a three-nation tour of southeast Asia.The agreement would facilitate the transfer of defence hardware and technology from Japan to Thailand, which has one of the region’s biggest and most equipped armies and a long history of ties with the US military.Further details of the deal were not disclosed.“This will help improve national defence and support investment from Japan in this activity which is an important goal for Thailand,” Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said in a joint statement read alongside Kishida.Prayut said he discussed improvements in supply chains and the drafting of a five-year economic partnership with Japan, Thailand’s biggest investor.Southeast Asia has for decades been an important region for Japan, hosting some of its biggest names in industry, from infrastructure, engineering and industrial zones to the manufacturing of vehicles and electronics.The region remains a battleground between the US, Japan’s close ally, and rival China, Southeast Asia’s biggest trade partner.On his three-day trip Kishida also visited Vietnam and Indonesia, where Japanese firms maintain a large presence.As the leader of Asia’s sole member of the Group of Seven (G7), Kishida discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during his trip to Southeast Asia, where only one nation — Singapore — has joined sanctions against Moscow.