Thailand signed its official participation contract for GREEN×EXPO 2027 (the 2027 International Horticultural Expo) on 14 October 2025. The signing took place at the Royal Thai Embassy in Tokyo with the GREEN×EXPO Association (formally, the Public Interest Incorporated Association 2027 International Horticultural Exposition, Japan), which announced it the following day. The year 2027 marks 140 years since the 1887 Declaration of Amity between Japan and Thailand. For Thailand, taking part also leads into the Korat International Horticultural Expo it will host in 2029.
Basics
Based on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan’s country data (as of 21 January 2026):
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Official name | Kingdom of Thailand |
| Area | Approx. 510,000 square kilometres |
| Population | 66.05 million (2025) |
| Capital | Bangkok |
| Ethnic groups | Majority Thai, with Chinese, Malay and other communities |
| Language | Thai |
| Religion | Buddhist 94%, Muslim 5% |
| Government | Constitutional monarchy |
| Head of state | His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua (King Rama X, enthroned October 2016) |
| Prime Minister | Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul (took office September 2025) |
| Foreign Minister | Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow |
In 2024, 70,421 Japanese nationals were resident in Thailand, and 65,398 Thai nationals were resident in Japan. The number of Thai visitors to Japan has been recovering from the pandemic and reached about 1.05 million in 2024. Relations date back to the 1887 Declaration of Amity, so 2027 is the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations. In May 2025, Thailand’s then-Foreign Minister Maris visited Japan for talks with Foreign Minister Iwaya. After the change of government, Foreign Minister Sihasak visited in December 2025 and had a working lunch with Foreign Minister Motegi.
Official exhibit information
According to the GREEN×EXPO Association’s announcement, the signing ceremony took place at 15:30 on Tuesday, 14 October 2025, at the Royal Thai Embassy in Tokyo. The three signatories were Mr. Piraphan Khotchakorn, Thailand’s Exhibition Area Government Commissioner (Director-General, Department of Agricultural Extension, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives), Masato Kawamura, Secretary General of the GREEN×EXPO Association, and Kazuhiko Koshikawa, Government Commissioner for the 2027 International Horticultural Expo. H.E. Mr. Wichit Wacharaphiwa, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to Japan, attended the ceremony.
Mr. Khotchakorn described the Thailand Pavilion as a place to experience harmony of mind and body through taste, scent, sight and sound. The published building image draws inspiration from “Isan Sim,” a temple architecture style from northeastern Thailand, said to express a stillness rooted in daily life and faith. The plan also includes an “International Garden” combining indoor and outdoor spaces. These are labelled as concept images in the released materials, though, and specific exhibits and the pavilion’s scale had not been announced as of September 2026.
Thailand is set to hold the 2029 Korat International Horticultural Expo from 10 November 2029 to 28 February 2030, in Nakhon Ratchasima Province (commonly known as Korat) in northeastern Thailand. Its theme is “Nature and Greenery: Envisioning the Green Future,” and it is an A1-class international horticultural expo, currently going through BIE (Bureau International des Expositions) certification. This would be Thailand’s second time hosting an A1-class expo, after the 2006 event in the northern province of Chiang Mai marking the 60th anniversary of King Rama IX’s reign. The Association describes this participation contract as a milestone connecting GREEN×EXPO 2027 to the Korat Expo.
A cultural primer
According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) official site, Thailand’s national flower is “Ratchaphruek” (the golden shower tree), designated on 26 October 2001. It blooms from March to April, and its yellow flowers are said to represent Buddhism and glory. Because King Rama IX was born on a Monday, whose colour is yellow, it is also called “the king’s flower.” Traditional houses are built on stilts, with steeply pitched roofs suited to the hot, humid, rainy climate, and wide verandas that the TAT site says can account for 40 to 60 percent of the building’s floor area. Thai ceramics such as Sangkhalok and Benjarong ware, and elements of the food culture, are noted as showing Chinese influence.
“Isan Sim,” the temple style behind the Thailand Pavilion’s building image, comes from Isan, the northeastern region where the 2029 Korat Expo will also be held. The TAT’s introduction to Isan food culture describes the region’s cuisine as salty and spicy with little sweetness. Because Isan has no coastline, fermented river-fish products such as “pla ra” are used as a preserved staple. The dishes it highlights include “som tam” (a pounded green papaya salad), “gai yang” (grilled chicken), “larb” (a spicy minced-meat salad seasoned with herbs and toasted rice), “sai krok isan” (a fermented sour sausage), and “tom saep,” described as the northeastern take on tom yum soup. The site also notes a tradition of eating insects such as giant water bugs and ant eggs.
Our take
The published building image draws on Isan temple architecture, and the 2029 Korat Expo will be held in the same region. We think the Thailand Pavilion announcement was put together with the Korat Expo in mind, rather than as a stand-alone introduction to the country. Knowing a bit about Isan architecture and food in advance should make the pavilion easier to appreciate once it opens in 2027. We will add the exhibits and the pavilion’s scale to this article when they are announced.
The full list of participating countries is in our participating countries guide. For dates, travel, tickets and places to stay, see our GREEN×EXPO 2027 page.