Jetro sponsors Japanese food event

The event is being held at the Gateway Ekamai shopping complex in Bangkok. 

Tatsuhiro Shindo, director-general of Jetro’s creative industries department, said Japanese food was getting more popular, especially among younger people, as it is convenient, easy to eat and healthy. There are 1,806 Japanese restaurants in Thailand, and Jetro envisages that the opportunity is ripe for more Japanese companies to cater to the growing base of Thais and Japanese expatriates. 

The fascination with Japanese food in Thailand has seen exponential growth to attract newer demographics with increased purchasing power, Jetro says. This has resulted in higher competition. 

Based on its research, Jetro has seen a steady increase of Japanese eateries in Thailand over the years, presenting an opportunity for Japanese investors to select Thailand as their destination. Jetro has thus cooperated with seven leading Japanese companies from across the nation with their regional specialities, namely Miguen Healthy Japanese Noodle, Matsuya, Croissant Donut New York, Cup n Roll, Tenjin, Todai Ramen and Kinshiro. 

By selecting different restaurants from the various regions of Japan based on their specialities at the “Discover New Tastes” event, the organisation has also provided a great chance for Thais to be introduced to the various prefectures in Japan and their must-try dishes, it says. 

One motivating factor for more investment in Thailand is large number of Japanese restaurants already here, both Thai- and Japanese-owned. This undeniably shows the popularity of Japanese food in Thailand, Shindo said.