The King visited Japan in 1963 and met with Emperor Hirohito, posthumously called Emperor Showa, and the following year the Japanese imperial couple visited Thailand as crown prince and crown princess on behalf of the emperor. They travelled to a rural village by the car with His Majesty at the wheel.
After Emperor Akihito's enthronement, he and Empress Michiko made their first overseas trip to Thailand in September 1991. They also attended the ceremony in Bangkok to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the His Majesty's accession to the throne in 2006.