SM Lee Hsien Loong at the Book Launch of "The Land of the Rising Sun and the Lion City: The Story of Japan and Singapore"

Professor Tommy Koh,
Ambassador Ishikawa Hiroshi,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,

A very good evening

I am delighted to be here today to launch this book, Professor Tommy’s 27th book – “The Land of the Rising Sun and the Lion City: The Story of Japan and Singapore”. Next year, Singapore and Japan celebrate the 60th anniversary of our diplomatic relations. It is a good occasion to reflect on how our bilateral relations began, and how we got here.

Moving Beyond History

Today, Japan and Singapore enjoy a close and multifaceted relationship. We co-operate in so many important areas of interest. We also enjoy strong people-to-people ties – last year, nearly 700,000 Singaporeans visited Japan, while nearly 600,000 Japanese visitors came to Singapore. And in this region, Japan plays a significant and valued role. But getting to this point was never a given.

The story of our bilateral relationship traced a remarkable arc. The beginning was clouded by tragic circumstances. During World War II, Japan invaded Singapore, along with much of Southeast Asia. It occupied Singapore for 3 years and 8 months. During those dark days, the civilian population of Singapore endured great privation. Tens of thousands died of starvation, or were killed. I did not live through the war, but my parents did, and told me about their experiences. During the Sook Ching operation, my mother’s elder brother was taken away and never came home. My father narrowly escaped being rounded up and shot – had he not evaded arrest, I would not be here today.

This is history that we cannot and should not forget.

Every year on February 15th, the day that Singapore fell to the Japanese in 1942, Singapore marks Total Defence Day with a ceremony at the Civilian War Memorial, where the remains of many of the civilian victims are interred. We commemorate it to mourn the victims, to remind ourselves of what can happen if we fail to defend ourselves. But also to look ahead, and resolve not to be trapped by our history.

In fact, the building of the Civilian War Memorial in the 1960s was itself an act of reconciliation. As Mr Lee Kuan Yew said when he unveiled the memorial in 1967: "We meet not to rekindle old fires of hatred, nor to seek settlements for blood debts". He called on Singaporeans to look towards the future, to “cultivate for us the largest number of reliable and strong friends” – Japan being among them.

Economic Co-operation

It made sense for both Singapore and Japan to reconcile, and co-operate economically. By the 1960s, the Japanese economy was growing rapidly. Japanese manufacturers were starting to export to overseas markets. They were looking for low-cost locations in developing countries to set up plants and increase production. On Singapore’s part, we sought investments from Multinational Corporations (MNCs) to create jobs for our people, to bring technology and upgrade our capabilities, and to open up markets in developed countries for Singapore’s exports.

In this spirit of pragmatism, both countries turned the page on history, and began a mutually beneficial and highly successful economic partnership.

Japanese MNC investments played a significant role in Singapore’s development. Once our first few Japanese investments succeeded, many more followed. Companies like Sony, Matsushita/Panasonic, Sumitomo and Hitachi made major investments here, creating jobs for many Singaporeans. By the late 1970s, Japan was Singapore’s largest investor. In the consumer market, Japanese retailers like Daimaru and Yaohan brought Japanese-style supermarkets and Japanese products to local consumers. Over time, many other major Japanese brands entered Singapore’s market. Their products moved up market, and built up a reputation for quality and reliability. Many − like Toyota, Casio and Mitsubishi − eventually became mainstays in the daily lives of Singaporeans – a piece of Japan in Singapore. In fact, there were many Japanese people in Singapore and the Japanese school in Singapore was for quite a long time the largest overseas Japanese school in the world.

Our cooperation was further enhanced when we signed the Japan-Singapore Economic Partnership Agreement (JSEPA) in 2002. It was Singapore’s first Free-Trade Agreement (FTA) with a major trading partner, and Japan’s first FTA ever. Today, with the multilateral trading system at risk, the JSEPA and similar arrangements reassure us that even in a turbulent and hostile world, countries can find reliable, long-term partners to cooperate for mutual benefit.

Singapore and Japan also worked together to promote regional cooperation. The JSEPA showed other countries the potential benefits of such FTAs. As we had hoped, it encouraged the ASEAN countries to negotiate an ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which came into force in 2008. When the US withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership in 2017, the late Mr Shinzo Abe, then Prime Minister, intervened decisively to push the Agreement through, with the remaining partners, including several ASEAN countries. At the time, Singapore gave Japan our full support. This is how the CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) came about.

Japan and ASEAN also worked together in many other areas, including education, cultural exchange, tourism, and people-to-people ties. In 1973, Japan was the first country to establish informal dialogue relations with ASEAN. Our cooperation significantly strengthened following the articulation of the Fukuda Doctrine in 1977 by then-Japanese PM Takeo Fukuda. And this set the framework for Southeast Asia and Japan to overcome some of the psychological barriers left behind by World War II, and to build a relationship of mutual trust. Since then, Japan has been a major contributor to Southeast Asia’s development. It has been one of ASEAN’s top sources of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). It also contributed more than 20 trillion yen or 134 billion USD of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to ASEAN over half a century (from 1968 to 2022). Their cooperation now extends to food security, cybersecurity, and digital cooperation. In 2023, ASEAN and Japan upgraded their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This record shows how much more both sides can benefit if we continue to upgrade and enhance our cooperation with each other.

Security Cooperation

However, for many years, one area of cooperation remained sensitive, and could not easily be broached and that was security cooperation. This was completely understandable, given the history. For the generation who had lived through the war and the Occupation, in many countries in East and Southeast Asia, that was a bridge too far. That was why in the 1977 Fukuda doctrine, Japan explicitly rejected the role of a military power, even though it stated it had the capability to rearm and to produce nuclear weapons. More than a decade later, when Japan sent minesweepers abroad to support coalition forces in the Gulf War (this was in 1991), many Asians were uneasy. Mr Lee Kuan Yew famously said it was like “giving a chocolate liqueur to an alcoholic”.

But with the passage of time and the passing of generations, things have changed. The generation that witnessed the war is fading away. The present generations do not carry the same emotional scars.

Japan has also evolved. Japanese society today is quite different from what it was pre-war. Japanese people themselves hold very different social and political values than before. Over the years, successive Japanese Prime Ministers have sought to build trust with the rest of Asia through words and deeds, e.g. In 1994, when Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama visited Singapore, he laid a wreath at the Civilian War Memorial, in a deeply appreciated gesture. The following year, he issued a landmark apology for Japan’s wartime actions, a message that was repeated by his successors. Successive Japanese governments have also taken deliberate steps to explain Japan’s security posture, and to show sensitivity to historical concerns.

Most importantly, we now live in a completely different world compared to the pre-war era, or the first few post-war decades. There are now three nuclear powers in the Asia Pacific, not counting North Korea. Intense rivalry between the US and China is the key feature of the geopolitical scene. There are tensions in the Taiwan Strait, East China Sea and South China Sea. This has shifted attitudes in Southeast Asia, and caused countries to rethink their policies on security cooperation with Japan.

Thus over the past ten years, Japan has gradually played a growing role in regional security co-operation. Japan began engaging the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting in 2014. In 2023, Japan and ASEAN strengthened security cooperation, especially in maritime security, cybersecurity, and disarmament and non-proliferation.

Singapore welcomes Japan’s greater contributions to regional peace and stability. Japan has been a steadfast friend and partner to the region for more than half a century. We share similar outlooks on important issues, including upholding the multilateral trading system, and the rules-based international and regional order. The world is entering uncharted waters. Fundamental questions are being raised on longstanding assumptions underpinning defence alliances, nuclear deterrence and non-proliferation. In such a world, I believe Japan can play a valuable stabilising role, and contribute to the well-being not just of Southeast Asia, but the wider Asia-Pacific. And that is why I encouraged Japan’s greater participation in regional security matters in 2022 (as Ambassador Ishikawa has mentioned), and again at the 2023 ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit. As countries seek to secure their own safety and future, we hope that Japan and its Asian neighbours will have the wisdom and political leadership to continue cultivating friendships, and collectively to foster regional peace and prosperity. Singapore is, and will always be, a trusted and reliable partner for Japan in this joint endeavour.

Conclusion

The Japan-Singapore relationship has developed immensely in six decades. This remarkable arc of history is made up of countless individual stories. They cover different facets of a wide-ranging relationship –friendships and free trade agreements, endeavours and exchanges, people and partnerships. The book captures some of these stories, and celebrates the rich tapestry of the shared experiences of two countries and peoples. It testifies to the enduring friendship between our nations and populations.

I thank Ambassador Tommy Koh and Ambassador Ishikawa Hiroshi for their dedication in co-editing this book.

May it inspire future generations to build upon what has been achieved. To strengthen our friendship and cooperation, and contribute to the success of our two countries and the peace and prosperity of the region.

Thank you.

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