With Thommayanti’s Khu Kam and MR Kukrit Pramoj’s Four Reigns, two of Thailand’s best-known novels mention Japanese doctors practicing in prewar Bangkok. These fictional portrayals reflect a historical reality: Japanese physicians and dentists did indeed practice in Siam during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This is documented in travelogues, newspapers, and archival records. Yet despite this evidence, Japanese doctors have received little attention in either the history of medicine in Thailand or in studies of Japanese-Thai relations.

This lecture explores the largely forgotten story of Japanese medical practitioners in Siam. It traces their arrival, their evolving role in the kingdom’s medical infrastructure, and their eventual deportation, alongside most other Japanese residents, at the end of World War II. In doing so, the talk sheds new light on a neglected chapter not only of Thai and Japanese history.