Letters from Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong to Outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and Incoming Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru

Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong has written a valedictory letter to outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and a congratulatory letter to incoming Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru. The text of the letters is appended.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

1 OCTOBER 2024

1 October 2024

His Excellency Kishida Fumio

Prime Minister

Japan

Dear Prime Minister Kishida,

Please accept my best wishes as you step down as Prime Minister of Japan.

Under your leadership, Japan has become stronger domestically and internationally. You have brought about growth in real wages, boosted Japan’s security capabilities, and broadened Japan’s cooperation with other countries. This includes successfully hosting the G7 Hiroshima Summit in 2023, and strengthening ASEAN-Japan relations, including through the commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of ASEAN-Japan relations in 2023.

Relations between Singapore and Japan have deepened under your premiership. Singapore had the privilege of hosting your visit in 2022 when you delivered the Keynote Address at the Shangri-La Dialogue. We had fruitful discussions during my visit to Japan in May 2023, and over the phone following my inauguration in May this year. Over the past three years, we have enhanced bilateral cooperation in a variety of fields, ranging from the economy and start-ups, to digitalisation, green transformation, and defence.

Singapore and Japan will commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2026. I look forward to your continued support as we further strengthen the ties between our two countries.

I wish you the very best and look forward to meeting you again soon.

Yours sincerely,

Lawrence Wong

1 October 2024

His Excellency Ishiba Shigeru

Prime Minister

Japan

Dear Prime Minister Ishiba,

Congratulations on your appointment as Prime Minister of Japan. Your victory in the Liberal Democratic Party Presidential election reflects your party’s confidence in your leadership. 

Singapore and Japan enjoy warm, substantive and longstanding relations. We cooperate in a wide variety of areas, including the economy and defence. Our collaboration has expanded to emerging areas like start-ups and innovation, green and digital transformation, and security cooperation. We have also worked together in crisis situations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our countries issued a Joint Statement on Supply Chain resilience and ensured that essential travel lanes remained open.

  Singapore and Japan also cooperate well in regional and international fora. Our partnership is underpinned by our shared belief in upholding the multilateral trading system and supporting the rules-based international order. Singapore appreciates Japan’s significant contributions in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership Commission and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, as well as at the World Trade Organisation and United Nations. As country coordinator for ASEAN-Japan relations, Singapore is fully committed to deepening Japan’s cooperation with ASEAN.

On a personal note, we appreciate the many links you have with Singapore, nurtured over many years of friendship. We still remember your previous visits to Singapore, and I recall hosting you at a Meet-the-People Session at my constituency in 2014. I look forward to working with you to further deepen the extensive relations between our two countries, especially as we commemorate the 60th Anniversary of our diplomatic relations in 2026.

I wish you all the best as you take on your new post and I look forward to meeting you again soon.

Yours sincerely,

Lawrence Wong