At about 12.20pm, Sirithorn Buakaew, deputy mayor of Tambon Khukkak Municipality, reported to the THAI-MECC office in Phang Nga that the tourist went missing while swimming in the sea in front of the Moracea by Khao Lak Resort in tambon Khukkhak and called for help, said the Bangkok Post.
At 12.30pm, the 3rd Naval Area dispatched a special operations team from the Phang-nga Naval Base for a search.
The body of the Japanese tourist, who was identified as Satoshi Sato, 46, was found in the sea by the search team at about 2:30pm and sent to a hospital for an autopsy, pending legal procedures.
The Japanese embassy had been informed of the incident.