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April 24, 2024
 

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Patpicha Tanakasempipat
For Patpicha Tanakasempipat's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Thailand's parliament passed a same-sex marriage bill on Wednesday, paving the way for the kingdom to become the first Southeast Asian nation to recognize LGBTQ marriage equality.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 28, 2024
Thailand passes bill to legalize same-sex marriage
Legalizing same-sex marriage could also have positive impact on tourism, which contributes about 12% to the nation’s $500 billion economy.
Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin's administration has made LGBT marriage a signature issue.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Mar 27, 2024
Bill to legalize same-sex marriage in Thailand heads to parliament
Taiwan and Nepal are the only places in Asia that currently recognize same-sex marriage, and efforts elsewhere in the region have had mixed results.
Festivalgoers sit at dining tables next to food stalls at the Tomorrowland electronic dance music festival in Boom, Belgium, last year. The event is set to take place in Thailand in 2026.
CULTURE / Music
Mar 26, 2024
Thailand to host two major music events after Taylor Swift miss
The Southeast Asian country plans to welcome two foreign music festivals, one of them Japanese, to help boost tourism.
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin visited former leader Thaksin Shinawatra at his residence on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 24, 2024
Thai PM meets Thaksin amid questions over clout in government
The meeting was Thaksin’s first high-profile meet with a Thai politician since being released on parole on Feb. 18.
Thailand will seek to get a new cannabis bill explicitly outlawing the recreational use of cannabis approved by the end of October.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Feb 22, 2024
Thailand aims for clampdown on recreational cannabis by year-end
The move would put thousands of marijuana shops and farms out of business.
Former Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat was declared not guilty in his media shareholding case by Thailand's Constitutional Court on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 25, 2024
Thai court clears former PM hopeful Pita Limjaroenrat in share case
Thailand’s constitution bars politicians from owning shares in media firms to prevent platforms being abused for personal gains and to protect media freedom.
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin at the Thailand Economic Outlook conference in Bangkok in October
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 9, 2023
Thailand’s 'salesman' PM travels the world to court investments
Srettha Thavisin is acting as Thailand’s chief salesman, enticing tourists, investors and anything or anyone that can support the nation’s growth.
Great Wall Motor's Ora Good Cat electric vehicles are charged at the company's charging station at Siam Square in Bangkok
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 27, 2023
Thailand bets on EVs to draw trillion baht in investment
The country has set up a "special operation” center to catch what its investment board head calls the "big fish” of the EV industry.
Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra waves after arriving at Don Mueang airport in Bangkok on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 22, 2023
Thailand's Thaksin returns to jail after years in exile
Thaksin, who was found guilty in absentia in four corruption cases and still faces 10 years in prison, was taken into custody by the police.
Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat leaves after voting for house speaker at the parliament in Bangkok on July 4.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 17, 2023
Thailand to hold PM vote next week as new bloc eyes power
The announcement of the new schedule came after the court last month denied pro-democracy leader Pita Limjaroenrat a second shot at the job.
Members of the armed forces stand with flags of Thailand outside the Grand Palace during celebrations to mark King Maha Vajiralongkorn's 71st birthday in Bangkok on July 28.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 4, 2023
Thailand’s wait for a premier gets longer, rattling markets
A revised schedule for a prime minister vote may be set after a Constitutional Court decision on Aug. 16.
Pheu Thai's prime ministerial candidates Paetongtarn Shinawatra (center, right) — daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra — and Srettha Thavisin (center, left), a local property tycoon, at a campaign event in Bangkok on May 12
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 3, 2023
Thai party to unveil new coalition after Move Forward break
Conservative parties are expected to join the new coalition and their inclusion would boost support for the nomination of Srettha Thavisin.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 21, 2023
Thai election winner lets ally lead government formation
The Move Forward Party leader has been blocked at every turn by conservative parties and military-appointed officials.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 18, 2023
As 'Detroit of Asia,' Thailand targets battery-makers to stay ahead in EV race
Long established as an auto hub, Thailand is determined to keep its grip on the economically crucial industry as the pivot to electric vehicles gathers pace.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 15, 2023
Thai PM candidate Pita willing to let ally form government
Pita said he will renew his candidacy for prime minister when the parliament meets again Wednesday, while acknowledging that time was running out for him to secure the top job.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 14, 2023
Here’s how Thailand’s PM race can take a whole new turn
After failing to win over Thai conservatives in his first attempt to become prime minister, things are looking increasingly difficult for Pita Limjaroenrat.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 13, 2023
Uncertainty looms over Thai PM vote even if front-runner wins
Thai politician Pita Limjaroenrat will have his first shot at occupying the country’s top political office Thursday, as lawmakers gathered to elect a new prime minister.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 10, 2023
Thai coalition leader Pita rallies supporters ahead of PM vote
To secure the premiership, Pita still needs the support of more than a quarter of the 250-member Senate — a body appointed by the royalist military establishment following a 2014 coup.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 3, 2023
Thai parliament to meet for first time since May vote, looking to elect PM
The gathering is set to kick off the process of government formation by a coalition of pro-democracy parties seeking to end almost a decade of military-backed and pro-royalist rule.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 28, 2023
Time running out for surprise Thai election winner Pita Limjaroenrat
Ever since he led his party to a surprise first-place finish in Thailand’s election last month, he’s faced a flurry of legal complaints and controversies challenging his bid to take power.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.
Japan’s cannabis market growing rapidly amid regulatory shift
The legality of products that contain cannabinoids, a group of substances derived from the cannabis plant, has been somewhat murky in Japan.
An AI star seeks to bring self-driving cars to Japan by 2030
Japanese startup Turing plans to unveil a self-driving car with at least 30 minutes’ driving range next year and develop a fully autonomous car by 2030.
Tokyo issues strong warning on yen intervention as currency dips further
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki speaks during a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok on the sidelines of IMF and G20 meetings in Washington last week.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
A craft beer crawl through Tokyo’s top bars, brewpubs and dives
If all you drink is Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin, you're depriving yourself of some of the best craft beer Tokyo has to offer — and there sure is a lot of it out there.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.
Tsukiji 2030s: A stadium, culinary center and transportation hub
A computer-generated image shows redevelopment plans for the former site of the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo.
Hearing the impact of climate change in Okinawa, one bird call at a time
Toshihiro Kinjo (center), a research support technician at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, inspects an audio recording device in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, on April 3 as Masako Ogasawara, a research support specialist at OIST, looks on.
Japan’s cannabis market growing rapidly amid regulatory shift
The legality of products that contain cannabinoids, a group of substances derived from the cannabis plant, has been somewhat murky in Japan.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass
Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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