Professor So Sasaki Invited to Moderate “Japan Thailand Public-Private Automotive Business Forum for Energy and Industry Dialogue” Hosted by METI etc.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the Embassy of Japan in Thailand, and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) Bangkok co-hosted the “Japan-Thailand Public-Private Automotive Business Forum for Energy and Industry Dialogue” in Bangkok, Thailand, on January 15th, 2025.^※1 The Forum is expected to beef up the ties between the two countries through the automotive industry.

At the Forum, a group of government and private-sector automobile industry stakeholders from Japan and Thailand discussed four themes in front of an audience of approximately 700 including online viewers.

Professor Sasaki from the Faculty of Economics was invited to moderate a panel discussion on the theme “Circular Economy and Ecosystem.” The discussion focused on what is needed to build a circular economy in Thailand where Electric Vehicles sales are rapidly increasing. Key points raised included the need to: a) secure traceability throughout the product lifecycle, from material procurement to disposal; b) enforce the Polluter-Pays Principle, and; c) support the development of management platforms and technology implementation, among other issues.^※1

It is worth noting that Professor Sasaki has previously published a research paper on Lithium-Ion batteries including EV battery recycling in collaboration with industry-academia: Toyota Daihatsu Engineering & Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Thailand, and Waste Management Siam Ltd., Thailand (DOWA ECO-SYSTEM’s local subsidiary)^※2
The research raised concerns about the Thai government’s trade policy banning E-waste imports and its impact on promoting international resource circulation. This issue has now prompted the Ministry of Industry to discuss the proposal for used battery import restriction.^※3

^※1 The discussion is partly based on the founding of JSPS KAKENHI Grants Numbers 20KKo299, 22H00763, 21K12370, SATREPS (JPMJSA1901) ,and ERTDF (S-19-2(2))
^※2 The founding of industry-academia collaborative research by Professor So SASAKI, the Faculty of Economics, on Lithium-Ion Battery recycling featured on English journal. See plus C.(only in Japanese)
^※3 http://php.diw.go.th/rubfung/upload1/file1_225.pdf (in Thai language)