Project News

On 20 July 2022, the project organizers arranged a signing ceremony on the Minutes of the Meeting (MM) to extend the project period and have an ad hoc meeting with the Joint Coordinating Committee (JCC) in Bangkok. The Rector of Thammasat University and Chief Representative at the JICA Thailand Office signed the MM to extend the project period for ten months, and this will be circulated to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to obtain a witness signature from the Permanent Secretary of the BMA (the BMA officially signed the MM on 11 August 2022).

The Rector of Thammasat University (bottom left) and Chief Representative at JICA Thailand Office (bottom right) signing the MM, observed by the Acting Project Director (upper left) and the Principal Investigator of the project (upper right)

Group photo after the JCC meeting

Closing remarks delivered by the Principal Investigator to all participants

On 17 July 2022, a mission team of project members from Japan was dispatched to Thailand to restart the local activities, after being restricted by the COVID-19 pandemic since 2020. Prof Yoshitsugu Hayashi, the Principal Investigator from Chubu University, has organized a team to conduct missions in Bangkok.

The team visiting a collaborative research institution, NECTEC

Prof Hayashi exchanging a QOL concept with collaborative researchers at Thammasat University

The team visiting Kasetsart University

During the mission, Prof Hayashi introduced a draft Sukhumvit Model, which is a project objective to propose a transportation package for related stakeholders such as the Ministry of Finance (MOF), the Ministry of Transport (MOT), and BMA to obtain their feedback on the model.

Chief Representative of JICA Thailand Office (left) and Prof Hayashi (right) introducing a small electric car to the Minister of MOF, formerly the Minister of MOT (middle)

Prof Hayashi giving a presentation on the Sukhumvit Model to the Director General of the of the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning, MOT

Prof Hayashi introducing the Sukhumvit Model to the Deputy Governor of BMA