On Wednesday, March 7, Mr. Yoshihiko Noda, Prime Minister of Japan, had a meeting with H.E. Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, at the Prime Minister's office for about 30 minutes from 5:30 p.m. (Attending on the Japanese side were Mr. Koichiro Gemba, Minister for Foreign Affairs; Mr. Takeshi Maeda, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transportation, and Tourism; Mr. Tsuyoshi Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Mr. Akihisa Nagashima, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister; and Mr. Seiji Kojima, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Kingdom of Thailand, among others. Attending on the Thai side were Mr. Kittirat Na-Ranong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance; Mr. Surapong Tovichakchaikul, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Group Captain Anudith Nakornthap, Minister of Information and Communication Technology; Mr. Boonsong Teriyapirom, Minister of Commerce; Mr. Pongsvas Svasti, Minister of Industry; Mrs. Nalinee Taveesin, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister's Office; Mr. Chadchart Sittipunt, Deputy Minister of Transport; and Mr. Virasakdi Futrakul, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Thailand to Japan, among others).

Following the meeting, a dinner was held by Prime Minister Noda for about one hour and 20 minutes from 6:20 p.m. (in place of Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Saito, Mr. Hiroyuki Nagahama, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secreatary, attended). The overview of the meeting is as follows.

Furthermore, on the occasion of Prime Minister Shinawatra's visit to Japan, the "Japan-Thailand Joint Statement on the Strategic Partnership based on the Enduring Bonds of Friendship" was released.

1. The two leaders shared the view that the Japan-Thailand bilateral relationship was further strengthened following the Great East Japan Earthquake and great floods in Thailand last year through the provision of mutual support and that both countries would work together in a collaborating manner to address bilateral, regional, and global issues as strategic partners sharing fundamental values such as democracy. In addition, Prime Minister Noda expressed his appreciation for Prime Minister Yingluck's efforts to establish democracy and national reconciliation in Thailand.
   
2. Prime Minister Noda stated that the exchange of people between the two countries was the basis of their bilateral relationship and that as such he wished to promote exchanges at every level. Prime Minister Noda welcomed Prime Minister Yingluck's participation in the Mekong-Japan Summit Meeting to be held in Tokyo 21 April and also requested the participation of a representative from Thailand to a minister-level international conference concerning natural disasters to be held in July this year in the disaster-affected region. Moreover, Prime Minister Noda expressed his intention to invite about 300 young people from Thailand in a year to promote understanding of rebuilding of Japan. Furthermore, Prime Minister Noda expressed his intention to issue multiple visas to short-term travelers under certain conditions. In response, Prime Minister Yingluck stated that she would like to enhance exchanges of people between the two countries in the future as well and she highly appreciates Japan's youth exchange programs.
   
3. Regarding the great floods in Thailand, Prime Minister Noda stated that Japan would like to provide full support to Thailand, including the formulation of a Chao Praya River anti-flooding master plan and an 8 billion yen-scale grant planned as part of a joint efforts with Thailand for such matters as the reconstruction of infrastructure in industrial estate and the surrounding areas that were impacted by the flood. Prime Minister Yingluck expressed her gratitude for this. In addition, Prime Minister Noda appreciated flood prevention measures implemented by the Government of Thailand and also requested that Thailand respond to Japanese enterprises, giving them thoughtful consideration. In response, Prime Minister Yingluck stated that the Government of Thailand wished to assure the Japanese government and Japanese enterprises that such a disaster would not be repeated again and that the Government of Thailand would take financial measures toward prevention.
   
4. Regarding infrastructure development, an important issue for Thailand, the both leaders concurred on the importance of the development of cooperative relationship in the areas of space technology, high speed and urban rail, ICT infrastructure, and so forth. In addition, both leaders shared the importance of the strengthening of economic relations, including the smooth implementation of the Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement (JTEPA).
   
5. Prime Minister Noda requested the early clarification of facts related to the death of a Japanese national in a demonstration in Thailand in 2010. In response, Prime Minister Yingluck touched upon juridical processes, remarking upon efforts to find out the truth. Furthermore Prime Minister Yingluck stated that she hoped to ease restrictions on food imports from certain areas, commenting that she wanted to support the disaster-affected areas by deepening tourism cooperation, including to the Tohoku region.
   
6. Concerning regional and international situations, both leaders had an exchange of opinions on cooperation in East Asia, Mekong-Japan cooperation, the situation in Myanmar and the situation on the Korean peninsula. They shared determination to continue to undertake cooperation on these issues.

In addition to the above, the two had a dinner featuring a relaxed atmosphere from beginning to end in which conversation touching upon sports and other matters.