JAPAN will hold a full-scale sumo tournament in Thailand next year as part of the celebrations of 130 years of bilateral ties between the countries, Deputy Prime Minister Tanasak Patimapragorn said yesterday.
It would be the first such event in Asia outside Japan, Tanasak said, adding that the Japanese |had rarely held sumo competitions outside of their country.
"Thanks to Japan's good ties with Thailand, they will bring this sport that reflects the Japanese culture here for the Thai people to watch," Tanasak said, adding that preparations were already under way.
Tanasak, who is in charge of tourism among his other areas of responsibility, also said that Thailand and Japan had worked together in efforts to boost tourism in their respective countries.
On Friday, a group of Japanese sumo wrestlers called on Tanasak at his office inside Government House. The team was accompanied by Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
