Labor Ministry Assists Family of Thai Student Who Died in Japan

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Kornapat Promhung, a Thai student who died in Hiroshima, Japan

BANGKOKThe Thai government is coordinating efforts to repatriate the remains of a Thai vocational student who was found deceased in Hiroshima, Japan, after being reported missing for nearly a month.

The case gained urgent attention after  Ms. Nannaphat Tanming, a bank employee and aunt of the deceased student Kornapat Promhung, appealed directly to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra through media channels, citing a lack of communication from Thai officials in Japan. Her public plea prompted immediate action from multiple government departments.

In response, Foreign Minister Marise Sa-ngiempong instructed the Thai Embassy in Tokyo to launch an investigation, while the Labor Ministry paralleled these efforts with its own inquiry.

Labor Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakan expressed deep condolences to the family of Kornapat Promhung, a 24-year-old student from Loei Technical College who had been participating in an internship program in Hiroshima for over two years. The minister has instructed the Permanent Secretary of Labor to facilitate benefits claims for the deceased’s family and coordinate the return of his remains to Thailand.

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Ms. Nannaphat Tanming, aunt of Kornapat Promhung, a Thai student from Loei province who died in Hiroshima, Japan, meets with the Loei Governor on January 28 to request assistance in coordinating with Thai and Japanese authorities to bring her nephew’s remains back to Thailand.

According to labor attaché reports, Kornapat, nicknamed “Nut,” went missing on December 22, 2024, after a gathering with nine friends at a restaurant in Hiroshima. His disappearance was noticed around 5:00 a.m. as the group was preparing to return to their accommodation.

Initial investigations revealed that Kornapat’s passport and bank documents remained in his room, and there was no activity in his bank account after his final salary payment in late December 2024. His body was discovered on January 22, 2025, in a stairwell between the second and third floors of a restaurant building.

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Photos and documents of Kornapat Promhung, a Thai student who died in Hiroshima, Japan, provided by Ms. Nannaphat Tanming, his aunt. She appealed through media on January 27 for the Thai government’s assistance in investigating the case and returning his remains to Thailand.

Permanent Secretary of Labor Boonsong Tapchaiyut reported that Hiroshima Chuo Police Station’s autopsy results, released on January 29, were inconclusive due to the body’s condition. However, investigators found no evidence of assault, with CT scans showing no bone fractures or signs of physical trauma.

The Thai Labor Office in Japan is now working with consular officials to arrange the repatriation of Kornapat’s remains and secure various benefits he was entitled to under Japanese social security, including health insurance, pension benefits, private insurance claims, remaining bank balances, and benefits from Thailand’s Overseas Workers Fund.

Kornapat had been placed in the internship program by Thai Asawalert Recruitment Company and was under the supervision of the Cooperative Society Hiroshima Sokeizai Center. His family in Loei province had previously appealed to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and relevant authorities for assistance in investigating the case and returning his remains to Thailand.

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