Opening Remarks by SMS Zainul Abidin Rasheed at the14th Singapore-Kagoshima Conference, 16 January 2008

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me express my warm welcome to our friends from Kagoshima Prefecture. I first met Governor Ito in October 2005 when I went to Kagoshima for the 13th Singapore-Kagoshima Conference. I still carry with me many happy and colourful memories of that visit. Kagoshima's rich culture and history, and Governor Ito's warm hospitality have left a particularly deep impression. Kagoshima, which in earlier years was also known as Satsuma, was a leader in the introduction of technology into Japan. It is also famous today for the Satsuma-imo, or sweet potato, which is synonymous with the high quality of Japanese products.

2 I am happy to be with you today as we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Singapore-Kagoshima Conference. This Conference is the oldest continuous conference we have had with a Japanese prefecture since the inaugural meeting in October 1982. I am heartened to learn that in recent years, our efforts have yielded significant results, particularly in the areas of cultural exchange and people-to-people links. This could be one of the focus areas of our future interactions.

3 At the national level, Singapore and Japan enjoy excellent relations that have taken form and substance. There have been many high-level visits between Singapore and Japan over the past two years. The State Visit by Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress to Singapore in June 2006 was a key milestone in our bilateral ties. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also made an official visit to Japan in March 2007. The Revised Agreement between Japan and Singapore for a New Age Economic Partnership, or JSEPA, was signed in March and came into force in September last year. Singapore-Japan cooperation also extends beyond bilateral issues to international and regional ones. We have worked together to achieve the early conclusion to the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or AJCEP. The agreement would bring about greater liberalisation in trade in goods and services between our countries as well as the region. Today, Japan is one of our largest trading partners and our bilateral economic ties continue to grow. Singapore is the biggest Asian investor in Japan with more than one billion Singapore Dollars of investments in 2006 alone. Our companies are particularly keen in areas such as real estate, hospitality and food services.

4 Singapore places importance on its relations with Japan. We cooperate and collaborate in many areas. In this regard, the active linkages that we maintain with Kagoshima serve to enhance this cooperative effort. We value our long-standing relations with Kagoshima. Our Singapore agencies, cultural groups, youths and students have benefited from the regular people-to-people exchanges. The youth, arts and sports exchanges thus far have broadened the participants' horizons and helped to promote greater understanding between our peoples. Some of the on-going exchanges include Kagoshima's participation in our Chingay Parade as well as the participation of Singapore students at the annual Kirishima International Music Festival. I am pleased to know that a group 12 youths from the People's Association Youth Movement has just visited Kagoshima in November last year, and I believe there is still potential for deepening our exchanges at the people-to-people level. For example, Singapore's Community Development Councils could explore avenues for exchanges between community groups from both sides.

5 Looking ahead, Singapore and Kagoshima could also work together to explore further possible collaborations in areas such as tourism. Japan is already a popular tourist destination for Singaporeans. With better profiling of Kagoshima, more Singaporeans would be interested in visiting Kagoshima to enjoy its abundant natural beauty and rich culture. Singapore is also an attractive destination for business and leisure visitors from Japan. For instance, Singapore is the location for many fond memories of Japanese students because they had visited Singapore for their overseas graduation trips. I am glad to say that new attractions are in the pipeline. For example, the first-ever Formula One night race will be held in September this year, and the Marina Integrated Resort will be completed in 2009.

6 As we celebrate the achievements of our 25 years of active exchanges, it is timely for us to plan ahead and map out a long term vision of our interactions going forward. I hope we have a fruitful and successful Conference this morning, and I am eager to hear new ideas on bringing the relations of our two cities to a higher plane. I look forward to the next Conference to be hosted by Kagoshima.

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