Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore

Overview

Singapore and Japan celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2016. The bilateral relationship has deepened and broadened over the years, building on regular high-level exchanges and strong economic ties, to include multifaceted cooperation in non-traditional areas such as counter‑proliferation, defence, environment, biomedical research, export control and cyber-security.

A key milestone in bilateral economic ties between Singapore and Japan is the Agreement between Japan and the Republic of Singapore for a New-Age Economic Partnership (JSEPA), signed by then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and then-Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in 2002. The agreement was Japan’s first bilateral economic partnership agreement and Singapore’s first with a major trading partner. In 2018, Japan was Singapore’s 8^th largest trading partner and 3^rd largest investor, while Singapore was Japan’s top Asian and 4^thlargest foreign direct investor.

Both sides also share many common interests on regional and international issues and collaborate closely under Singapore’s largest and most successful joint training programme with another country – the Japan-Singapore Partnership Programme for the 21st Century (JSPP21) – to provide technical assistance to third countries.

Recent Highlights

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2015

Japanese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Taro Aso visited Singapore for the SG50 National Day Parade on 9 August.

Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong visited Tokyo, Japan from 20 to 22 May to attend the 21^st International Conference on The Future of Asia organised by Nikkei Inc. ESM delivered the keynote address at the Conference.

Minister (Foreign Affairs) (Law) K Shanmugam visited Japan from 13 to 17 March to attend the 3^rd United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, and to officiate at the opening ceremony of the Multi-Purpose Community Hall in Rikuzentakata, Singapore’s largest reconstruction project funded by the Singapore Red Cross following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

2016

Japanese Governor of Hokkaido Prefecture Harumi Takahashi visited Singapore from 13 to 15 January to attend the opening of the Hokkaido Government Representative Office in Singapore.

Senior Minister of State (Prime Minister’s Office) (Foreign Affairs) (Transport) Josephine Teo led the Singapore delegation at the 18^th Singapore-Kagoshima Conference held on 19 January in Singapore.
Japanese Urasenke Grand Master XV, Daisosho Dr Genshitsu Sen visited Singapore from 12 to 15 April. He conducted a ritual tea dedication and tea sharing at the Istana and the Asian Civilisations Museum to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Japan.
Minister (Foreign Affairs) Dr Vivian Balakrishnan made an introductory visit to Tokyo, Japan from 24 to 27 April. Minister delivered the keynote address at the 11^th Japan-Singapore Symposium. The visit coincided with the exact date that Singapore-Japan diplomatic relations were established on 26 April 1966.
Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong visited Tokyo, Japan from 29 to 31 Mayto attend the 22^nd International Conference on The Future of Asia organised by Nikkei Inc. ESM delivered the keynote address at the Conference.
Japanese Minister of Defence Gen Nakatani visited Singapore on 4 June. He delivered a speech at the 15^th Shangri-La Dialogue.
Japanese Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Keiichi Ishii visited Singapore on 22 July.
Japanese State Minister of Foreign Affairs Nobuo Kishi visited Singapore from 1 to 2 September.
Japanese Minister in charge of Economic Revitalisation, Minister in charge of Total Reform of Social Security and Tax, and Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy Nobuteru Ishihara visited Singapore on 7 September.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong visited Tokyo, Japan from 26 to 29 September to receive the posthumous award of the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers on behalf of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

President Tony Tan Keng Yam made a State Visit to Japan from 28 November to 6 December, in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Japan.

2017

Senior Minister of State (Prime Minister’s Office) (Foreign Affairs) (Transport) Josephine Teo visited Tokyo, Japan from 12 to 14 February.
Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong visited Tokyo, Japan from 4 to 7 June to attend the 23^rd International Conference on The Future of Asia organised by Nikkei Inc. ESM delivered a keynote speech at the Conference.
Japanese Minister in charge of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games Tamayo Marukawa visited Singapore from 31 July to 2 August.
Senior Minister of State (Foreign Affairs) (Defence) Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman led the Singapore delegation at the 12^th Japan-Singapore Symposium held in Singapore on 24 October.

2018

Minister of State (PMO) (Foreign Affairs) (Manpower) Sam Tan led the Singapore delegation to the 19^th Singapore-Kagoshima Conference (SKC) held in Kagoshima, Japan on 11 January.

Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Taro Kono made an Official Visit to Singapore from 10 to 12 February.

Senior Minister of State (Defence) (Foreign Affairs) Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman visited Tokyo, Japan from 7 to 8 March to attend the OECD Southeast Asian Regional Programme (SEARP) Ministerial Conference.

Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean visited Tokyo, Japan from 9 to 11 June to attend the 24^th International Conference on the Future of Asia organised by Nikkei Inc. DPM delivered a keynote speech at the Conference.

Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Taro Kono visited Singapore from 1 to 5 August to attend the 25^th ASEAN Regional Forum.

Japanese Lower House Member Yuko Obuchi visited Singapore from 19 to 23 August as the 10^th Temasek Programme participant.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Singapore from 14 to 16 November to attend the 33^rd ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.
Minister (Foreign Affairs) Dr Vivian Balakrishnan visited Tokyo, Japan from 3 to 5 December.

Japan