The proposal coincides with several Japanese firms stating their interest in investing in Thailand, especially in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), Somkid said after the discussions at Government House in Bangkok yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) has indicated its interest in developing a smart city in Chachoengsao province, he said.

He described the talk of a means for sharing political knowledge between the countries as interesting, especially with politics in Japan being in a period of transition.

JC Service is among the Japanese companies expressing their interest in Thai investments. It generates power from rubber, said Somkid, who asked Thailand’s Board of Investment to provide the company with advice.

In regard to the proposed Thailand-Japan bullet train, or shinkansen – from Bangkok to Chiang Mai – the project preparatory work is continuing, he said.

Somkid said Japanese partners usually spend a relatively long time on feasibility studies before proceeding with a project, adding that he expected it would take a year to finalise.

Somkid said that JBIC had sent a team to conduct a feasibility study into investment on the smart city plan for Chachoengsao, which comes under the EEC region.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/Economy/30334482