On January 30, 2025, Mr. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Minister of Labour, spoke about the progress in the case of a technical trainee who died in Japan and expressed his deepest condolences to the deceased’s family. Regarding assistance in terms of legal entitlements to be received by the beneficiaries, the Permanent Secretary of Labour was assigned to follow up on the progress of the matter and coordinate to proceed according to the family’s wishes to send the ashes back to Thailand.
Mr. Phiphat continued that he received a report from the Minister Counselor (on Labour) from the Labour Office in Japan, which conducted the investigation and found that the deceased Thai worker, Mr. Kanapat Promhung, was a Japanese technical trainee who disappeared. His relatives filed a complaint through the media. The Ministry of Labour by the Labour Office in Japan followed up and found that Mr. Kanapat was originally from Loei Province. He traveled to Japan to work through the employment agency Thai Asavalert Co., Ltd. and the Cooperative Society Hiroshima Sokeizai Center, which was the supervising organization. Then, on December 21, 2024, Mr. Kanapat and 9 friends went to a restaurant in Hiroshima City to socialize. At approximately 05.00 hours on December 22, 2024, while they were preparing to return to their accommodation, they discovered that Mr. Kanapat had disappeared.
Later, on January 3, 2025, the Labour Office in Japan followed up and inquired about the progress internally with the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Fukuoka. On January 6, 2025, the Consulate-General inquired with the Yamagata Police Station, the regulatory body, and learned that Mr. Kanapat had not been found. His passport and various bank books were still in his room. In addition, his employer transferred his salary to Mr. Kanapat’s account before the end of December 2024, but there was no movement in the account. As for Mr. Kanapat’s belongings and luggage, the employer still kept them at his residence. Later, on the morning of January 7, 2025, Thai Asavalert Co., Ltd., requested information on how to track down Mr. Kanapat. The Labour Office in Japan initially informed the company of the progress. Then, on January 23, 2025, the Labour Office in Japan was notified by the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Fukuoka that they had been notified by the regulatory body that Mr. Kanapat was found deceased. His body was found on January 22, 2025, on the fire escape between the 2nd and 3rd floors of the restaurant building. The regulatory body notified relatives in Thailand of the death.
Mr. Boonsong Thapchaiyut, the Permanent Secretary of Labour, said that he received instructions from the Minister of Labour and instructed the Minister Counselor (on Labour) from the Labour Office in Japan to follow up support regarding eligible benefits and to coordinate with the consulate to transport the ashes back to Thailand, as requested by the relatives. The Labour Office in Japan has coordinated with the supervisory organization to follow up on the entitlements in Japan in the case of Mr. Kanapat’s death. Mr. Kanapat was insured under the Japanese social security system, in which benefits consist of 1) Health insurance. In the event of the insured person’s death, the beneficiary will receive a funeral expense of 50,000 Yen or approximately 11,000 Baht. The employment agency and the company’s cooperative agreed to take action and help cover all expenses related to cremation and transportation of ashes. 2) Pension insurance. The deceased’s beneficiaries will receive a legacy pension, with the condition that they must be insured for 25 years or more. In the case of the deceased who has no wife and children, the father or mother will be eligible for benefits, with the condition that the father or mother must be at least 55 years old. In the case of Mr. Kanapat, the beneficiaries will not receive benefits from the said pension insurance as he was not insured for the full period. 3) Benefits from private insurance companies. Clarity on the compensation amount and eligibility must await autopsy results, which the insurance company will consider. 4) The remaining balance in a Japanese bank account is 176,868 Yen or approximately 38,910 baht, which includes the last salary of December 2024 that the employer transferred on December 27, 2024, for 175,940 Yen. 5) Benefits from the fund to help workers working overseas by the Department of Employment. In the event that a fund member dies abroad, they will receive a lump sum benefit of 40,000 Baht.
Regarding the deceased’s body, the latest update yesterday (January 29, 2025) at approximately 16.30 hours local time in Japan, the Hiroshima Chuo Police Station reported that the cause of death could not be determined due to the incomplete condition of the body. However, it is unlikely to have been caused by assault, as there were no signs of stabbing, beating, bruising, or bleeding in the body. Furthermore, no fractures or breaks were found in the CT scan. After this, the police will provide the official autopsy report to the organization caring for Mr. Kanapat, in accordance with the guidelines, for the organization to use in reporting the death to local agencies in the area. The Labour Office in Japan will coordinate with the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Fukuoka to authorize the submission of a death certificate.
