Japan calls again for Thai–Cambodian border reopening

Japan has again called for the Thailand-Cambodia border to re-open, warning that the prolonged closure is disrupting regional supply chains and driving up costs for Japanese companies operating under the “Thailand-Plus-One” model.

According to the Khmer Times, Japanese Ambassador to Cambodia Ueno Atsushi urged Thailand and Cambodia to resolve their territorial dispute through dialogue and restore land crossings. He said the shutdown has created serious logistical challenges for Japanese investors.

He was speaking at a talk titled ‘Cambodia-Japan in the New World’, co-organised by the Cambodian Centre for Regional Studies and the Japanese Embassy in Phnom Penh.

Since September, the Japanese government and investors have repeatedly called on both sides to reopen border checkpoints to facilitate trade and prevent potential industrial relocation.

Ueno said the situation has undermined the “Thailand-Plus-One” business model, in which Japanese firms use Thailand as a manufacturing hub while expanding production into neighbouring Cambodia.

“The closure of the land border between Thailand and Cambodia has caused damage to the supply chain of Japanese companies, particularly those who came to invest in Cambodia, trying to diversify the supply chain,” he said.

The envoy explained that many Japanese companies with factories in Thailand had shifted part of their production to Cambodia in response to rising wages and operating costs in Thailand.

Since the closure of the border, amid escalating tensions that later turned into military clashes along the shared frontier, companies have faced rising transport costs and logistical uncertainties. As a result, firms have been forced to adopt alternative and more expensive routes.

“These companies have to diversify their transportation from Cambodia to Thailand by using ships or even by air, or sometimes they use a very long way around from Thailand, going to Laos, then to Vietnam, and from Vietnam to Cambodia,” Ambassador Ueno said.

Japan has raised the matter with both governments through diplomatic channels. He added that Japan’s ambassador in Bangkok has also requested that the issue be discussed within the bilateral border committee framework.

“We believe that a sound relationship between Cambodia and Thailand is extremely important for peace and stability in this region. Therefore, Japan has consistently urged both countries to exercise maximum restraint and seek peaceful resolution through dialogue,” he said.

Japan first called for the reopening of Thai-Cambodian border crossings during the escalation of tensions in mid-2025.

In late July, Tokyo urged both countries to exercise maximum restraint and pursue a peaceful resolution, highlighting the broader economic impact of the border closures.