OSAKA – The enduring friendship between Japan and Singapore, a bond that has not only withstood the test of time but also flourishes with each passing year, is poised to enter an “even more dynamic and progressive” chapter, said Singapore’s Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Aug 24.
This bilateral relationship, set to mark its 60th anniversary in 2026, “stands as a testament to what countries can achieve when they work together with mutual respect and shared purpose”, he added.
SM Lee was speaking at Singapore’s National Day celebrations at the Osaka World Expo, a six-month extravaganza themed
Designing Future Society For Our Lives
that concludes on Oct 13. Participating countries and regions are each granted a dedicated “National Day” to spotlight their unique cultures at a National Day Hall.
The celebrations commenced with the national flags of Singapore and Japan raised to their respective national anthems. Among the Japanese dignitaries in attendance were Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi and former foreign minister Taro Kono, who chairs the Japan-Singapore Parliamentary Friendship League.
With the multilateral rules-based order facing severe strain, SM Lee stressed the critical imperative to double down on “more, not less, international cooperation”.
“Japan and Singapore recognise this, and are looking for more ways to cooperate, and to strengthen our ties,” he said. And participating in a global event like the Osaka World Expo is a “powerful reminder that when we work in concert, what we create is far greater than the sum of its parts”.
In their speeches, both SM Lee and Mr Hayashi noted the close cooperation between Singapore and Japan cultivated over the decades, which has expanded into new domains such as artificial intelligence, renewable energy and smart city solutions.
“In recent years, the two countries have deepened their multifaceted cooperative relationship, working together as important partners who share fundamental principles and values to address various issues that the region and international community face,” Mr Hayashi said, speaking in English.
SM Lee, for his part, acknowledged that their shared strategic outlook and interests today had not come easy, given the Japanese occupation of Singapore during World War II.
“Successive leaders from both countries have carefully nurtured this relationship,” he said. “They have found ways to move beyond a difficult historical past, and to forge cooperation, based on mutual economic and strategic interests.”
What was pivotal to the economic story of a young nation, SM Lee said, was the belief in Singapore’s potential by Japanese companies like Sony, Panasonic, Shimano and Sumitomo. Their investments led to the creation of thousands of jobs, transfer of valuable technical know-how, and the building of Singapore’s industrial capabilities.
Another milestone was the two countries’ economic partnership agreement in 2002, which was Japan’s first bilateral trade pact and Singapore’s first with a major trading partner. SM Lee, describing it as a “gold standard agreement for a new era”, said it “served as a pathfinder for subsequent regional economic agreements”.
Economic ties grew from strength to strength and today, both countries rank among each other’s top 10 trading partners. Singapore was Japan’s top investor in 2023, and the third-largest source of foreign direct investment stock.
Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong (right) being greeted by Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi.
PHOTO: MINISTRY OF DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT AND INFORMATION
The two countries also work closely on regional issues such as economic integration and supply chains, while Singapore welcomes Japan’s efforts to do more for regional peace and security, SM Lee said.
People-to-people ties are likewise deep, he added, noting the nearly 600,000 Japanese visits to Singapore in 2024. He quipped that his family was among the nearly 700,000 Singaporean visits to Japan in 2024.
More than 30,000 Japanese live in Singapore, while about 3,000 Singaporeans live in Japan.
“These deep connections build trust and mutual understanding that will put our relations on a firm basis for many years to come,” he said.
On Aug 24, SM Lee visited the Japan Pavilion at the Osaka World Expo, which focuses on sustainability and the idea of “circulation”, a concept at the core of Japanese craftsmanship. The pavilion reclaims pure water from food waste, and features exhibits like 32 types of algae represented as Hello Kitty characters and one of the largest Martian rocks on Earth.
SM Lee also went to the pavilion by Japanese human resources agency Pasona, which features a sample pulsating heart made entirely from stem cells and suspended in cultured fluid, in what is one of the Expo’s top draws.
Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong visiting the Pasona Natureverse pavilion to see a sample pulsating heart, produced entirely from induced pluripotent stem cells or iPS, in what is a world first.
PHOTO: MINISTRY OF DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT AND INFORMATION
He then went to the
Singapore Pavilion
, which has been dubbed the
Dream Sphere
and bears the tagline “Where Dreams Take Shape”.
Visitors walk past the Singapore Pavilion, which has been dubbed the Dream Sphere.
PHOTO: AFP
Some 1.5 million visitors have passed through its doors thus far. This blows Singapore Tourism Board’s (STB) target of one million visitors for the six-month event out of the water.
The pavilion’s striking design and aspirational concept, with its facade taking the shape of a giant red orb that towers 17m at its apex and comprising 17,000 recycled red aluminium discs, is a play on the country’s moniker, “little red dot”.
The pavilion encapsulates the indomitable spirit of an island nation that has defied the odds, with its residents transforming their dreams into tangible realities. Visitors are invited to dream of a brighter tomorrow by writing their wishes, which are then projected onto a dome ceiling.
SM Lee had noted in his speech that successive generations of Singaporeans have never stopped believing in the power of dreams.
“Together, we strived to create opportunities for ourselves despite the odds − to create a place where dreams can take shape. Bit by bit, we built today’s Singapore,” he said. “The Singapore Pavilion captures this story of hope and agency.”
The pavilion has won bouquets, with visitors including Japanese royalty.
Princess Aiko
, the 23-year-old daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, graced the showcase in May.
The exhibition Heavy Lines, Light Touch, which is ongoing until Sept 7 at Patina Osaka.
PHOTO: ART:DIS
Singapore’s National Day festivities on Aug 24 featured National Day classics by 19-year-old classical violinist Adele Wee and five-piece pop-rock band 53A performed to a sea of Singapore flags waved by an audience of Singaporeans living in Japan.
Among them was IT professional Cheryl Soh, 34, who confessed to tearing up when the national anthem was played.
“It feels like I’m back in Singapore, and it’s very warm to be able to meet fellow Singaporeans for the first time,” Ms Soh, who lives in Kyoto and has been based in Japan for nine years, told The Straits Times.
Ms Sara Wee, the lead vocalist of 53A, told ST that being part of the Osaka Expo reflects both the band’s growth journey and, significantly, “how far the wider community of Singaporean artistes has progressed in gaining visibility on the global stage”.
In his brief remarks at the reception for about 150 Singaporeans based in Japan at the Singapore Pavilion, Mr Lee said: “It’s a very uncertain world in which we live… But amid all these uncertainties, I think compared to other countries, we are as well-prepared as they are, and, in fact, better prepared than them because we are united, we are cohesive, we know what we are trying to do, and we have the confidence to work together and make it happen together.
“And wherever you are, fly the flag high and make sure that you help us to progress a little bit more year by year, and for many generations to come. So, Happy National Day and Happy SG60.”
STB executive director Carrie Kwik, who oversees the Singapore Pavilion, told ST: “Celebrating our National Day at the World Expo reinforces our identity as a confident, connected city that contributes meaningfully to global conversations, while telling the story of both our journey and our aspirations for the future.”
Given the approaching diplomatic milestone, Ms Kwik said: “The Singapore Pavilion takes on special significance as a bridge between our two nations.”
A series of events will mark 60 years of Singapore-Japan relations, an occasion that has been christened SJ60. Japan’s Foreign Ministry is inviting submissions until Sept 5 for a SJ60 logo design competition.
Adding to the cultural exchange, an art exhibition showcasing the works of Singapore’s Fern Wong and Japan’s Toshio Okamoto – both artists with disabilities – is ongoing until Sept 7 at Patina Osaka. The luxury hotel opened in May and is the first property in Japan by Singapore’s Capella Hotel Group.
Okamoto paints using black ink and disposable chopsticks, while Wong’s artwork is a colourful tapestry of delicate paper cuts.
The sharp contrast is exemplified by the theme “Heavy Lines, Light Touch”, and the exhibition is hopefully an “appetiser” for future collaborative showcases, curator John Tung told ST.
The exhibition Heavy Lines, Light Touch features artwork by Singaporean artist Fern Wong, who specialises in papercuts (foreground), and Japanese artist Toshio Okamoto, who paints using black ink and disposable chopsticks (pictured, background).
PHOTO: ART:DIS
The exhibition Heavy Lines, Light Touch is ongoing until Sept 7 at Patina Osaka.
PHOTO: ART:DIS
This marks the first overseas exhibition for Art:Dis, a Singapore non-profit organisation, and a rare instance of artwork by people with disabilities being showcased at a luxury hotel, Mr Tung said, adding: “This is a big marker to how we respond to what is produced by people with disabilities.”
Noting the potential for greater cultural diplomacy, Art:Dis executive director Angela Tan said: “Culturally, especially in the space of disability support, there is plenty that both societies can learn from each other.”
AloJapan.com