BANGKOK -- Thai Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak turned on the charm earlier this month when he took the stage at a business forum in Fukuoka, in southern Japan.
With a beaming smile he rarely shows in public back home, the economic czar spent nearly 10 minutes of his 40-minute speech expressing deep affection for Japan -- from the country's hot springs to its robotics. His message to the audience of 900 potential investors was simple: "We love you ... so we need your help."
