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Ειδήσεις 19 March 2026 19 March 2026 Hits: 3

Singapore, Japan ‘strategically aligned’ for a stronger partnership: PM Wong

Ειδήσεις 19 March 2026 19 March 2026 Hits: 3

The Straits Times By Goh Yan Han, Published Mar 19, 2026

TOKYO – Singapore and Japan are strategically aligned, with similar views on the importance of free and open trade, as well as international cooperation. Both also have a shared interest in new areas of growth, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on March 18.

While the Republic remembers its history and the Japanese Occupation, this does not mean Singapore cannot move forward to forge a mutually beneficial relationship with Japan as it has done over the decades, he said as he concluded the main section of his three-day official visit to Tokyo. Both countries have a longstanding relationship and believe in free and open trade, as well as in upholding the rules-based international order. Both sides are also pushing forward in similar sectors of artificial intelligence, quantum and space technologies, and cybersecurity, said PM Wong. These are new opportunities that will benefit both countries, including in research, investments and job creation, he added. He was speaking to the Singapore media in Tokyo after meeting his counterpart Sanae Takaichi earlier in the day, when they discussed a wide range of areas for collaboration and announced upgraded ties to a strategic partnership.

It is his first visit to Japan as prime minister, and part of a series of introductory visits to countries in ASEAN and the wider region as well as broader efforts to upgrade bilateral ties around the world. He had also launched a strategic partnership with South Korea during his visit there in end-2025. He said that while Singapore remembers the “dark, painful period” during the Japanese Occupation and continues to mark the day when the British surrendered to the Japanese in 1942, on what is now Total Defence Day, it also learnt the hard lesson that no one will defend Singapore but Singaporeans.