Thai Investment Surges as Japan Endorses 'Quick Big Win' Strategy

Thailand’s industrial transformation gained substantial momentum following a high-profile investment roadshow in Japan, culminating in the Thailand–Japan Investment Forum 2025 held in Tokyo. The forum, co-hosted by the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI), the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), and other Japanese partners, attracted more than 450 participants from leading Japanese companies. The strong turnout reinforced confidence in Thailand’s position as a regional production base and underscored continued optimism about its economic direction.

Japanese investment applications submitted to Thailand increased by 105.7 percent year-on-year during the first nine months of 2025, reflecting robust investor sentiment and sustained trust in Thailand’s long-term growth prospects. The BOI highlighted Japan’s enduring role as a key investor and emphasized that companies continue to view Thailand as a market offering geopolitical stability, resilient supply chains, and world-class infrastructure suitable for high-value industrial expansion.

The government’s strategy to accelerate economic restructuring is being implemented through the “Quick Big Win” framework, led by the BOI and centred on promoting “Investment for the Future.” The policy seeks to position Thailand as a regional hub for digital technologies, clean energy, Electric Vehicles (EVs), semiconductors, data centres, and sectors aligned with the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economic model. Key initiatives include the development of 100,000 highly skilled workers and the launch of the Thailand FastPass programme in December 2025 to streamline investment approval processes. Over the past five years, Japan has invested more than 12 billion USD in approximately 1,400 projects, with bilateral trade reaching 38.46 billion USD in the first nine months of the year.

Momentum across the EV and semiconductor sectors continues to build. Recent approvals by the EV Board grant incentives for producing Hybrid Electric Vehicles and Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicles. Thailand is advancing its clean energy transition, with a target of sourcing 50 percent of national energy consumption from renewable energy by 2027, supported by the Utility Green Tariff and Direct Power Purchase Agreements.

Strong interest has resulted in over 55 approved battery projects worth 2.26 billion USD and 44 essential electric-parts projects. Consumer adoption also continues to surge, with Battery Electric Vehicles accounting for 16.3 percent of new vehicle registrations by September 2025, compared with only 0.2 percent in 2020.