Thai Festival in Tokyo kicks off

BANGKOK, May 17 (TNA) – Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched the ‘Thai Festival 2015’ in Tokyo, where over 300,000 visitors have been expected to arrive at the venue and help boost relations and investment between Thailand and Japan. Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs General Thanasak Patimaprakorn chaired the opening ceremony of the Thai Festival in Tokyo at Yoyogi Park in Shibuya district of the Japanese capital on Saturday. The theme for the festival this year is, "Thai Festival 2015- Have a RICE Day", which was set up in honour of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand to commemorate the auspicious 88th birthday anniversary of His Majesty, a highly-revered Thai monarch renowned for his roles in Thai Rice development. The event also aimed at creating awareness of the potential of Thailand as the main rice producer and exporter, as well as one of the main promoters to process rice products among the Japanese people. The Thai deputy premier and foreign affairs minister also gave a speech, along with Japan's Minister of Public Health, Labour, and Welfare Suhisa Shiozaki, during which both officials expressed admiration to the sounding relationship between Thailand and Japan, which had been engaged in longstanding cooperation for over 600 years in all aspects from the royal families, government, all the way to the peoples. (TNA)