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Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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MFA Press Statement: Introductory Visit of Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Law K Shanmugam to Japan 4 - 6 June 2012

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5 June 2012

Minister for Foreign Affairs K Shanmugam and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Koichiro Gemba witnessing the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation for the construction of the Isobe Community Cen...

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Two men in suits shaking hands, Singapore flag visible in the background.

Minister for Foreign Affairs K Shanmugam and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Koichiro Gemba witnessing the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation for the construction of the Isobe Community Centre located in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture.
 

Five people in suits stand behind a table with flags of Singapore and Japan in the background.

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Law K Shanmugam had a fruitful meeting with Japan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Koichiro Gemba today in Tokyo.  Both sides expressed satisfaction with the excellent and long-standing relations between Singapore and Japan which are anchored by a common strategic outlook and strong economic ties.  They discussed various ways to elevate bilateral cooperation to a higher level.  In this regard, they agreed to convene the third review of the Japan-Singapore Economic Partnership Agreement and also welcomed the strengthening of aviation linkages. Minister Shanmugam also reiterated Singapore’s support for Japan’s participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

 

The two Ministers discussed how Singapore and Japan could work closely in various regional and multilateral forums, such as the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Seminar on Nuclear Safety, which would be held from 13 to 15 June 2012 in Singapore, and the implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity. They also engaged in a wide-ranging and frank discussion on various regional and international issues. On developments in the South China Sea, both Ministers agreed that the situation should be resolved peacefully and expeditiously in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

 

The two Foreign Ministers also witnessed the signing between the Singapore Red Cross Society (SRC), the Soma City Municipal Government and the Singapore Embassy in Japan of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) for the construction of the Isobe Community Centre located in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture.  This project is the final of four reconstruction projects funded by donations collected by the SRC following the March 11th Earthquake and Tsunami in 2011. [1] 

 Earlier in the day, Minister Shanmugam called on Deputy Prime Minister Katsuya Okada and reaffirmed Singapore’s close bilateral relations with Japan.  Minister Shanmugam also had the opportunity to interact with senior Diet members from the Democratic Party of Japan at a lunch hosted by Chairman of the Japan-Singapore Parliamentary Friendship League (JSPFL) Yoshito Sengoku.  During the lunch, Minister and the JSPFL reaffirmed the strong people-to-people ties between Singapore and Japan, and agreed to promote more parliamentary exchanges between the two countries.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

5 JUNE 2012

[1]               The other three reconstruction projects funded by the SRC are: (i) Taro Support Centre, a temporary elderly care facility in Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture; (ii) a Multi-purpose Community Hall in Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture; and (iii), the Toyama Nursery School in Shichigahama Town, Miyagi Prefecture.

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