Japan has much to contribute to regional security: PM Lee

S’pore keen to deepen cooperation with Tokyo to promote peace, stability, he says

- Walter Sim

TOKYO - Japan has much to contribute to regional security, and Singapore is happy to deepen cooperation with Tokyo to promote peace and stability, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Dec 17.

This includes welcoming Japan Self-Defence Forces aircraft and vessels to stop over and make port calls in Singapore, he said.

PM Lee was speaking at a commemorative summit held in Tokyo to mark 50 years of Japan-Asean relations, during a session that took stock of a half-century of ties and discussed the current state of regional affairs.

The meeting at The Okura Tokyo hotel was attended by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and leaders of South-east Asian countries except Myanmar, which was not invited due to its military coup d'etat.

At their bilateral meeting on Dec 16, PM Lee and Mr Kishida also discussed deeper defence cooperation and exchanges, according to read-outs by Singapore's and Japan's foreign ministries that provided no further details.

There are regular exchanges between the Singapore navy and its Japanese counterpart. For instance, in April 2023, they held a passage exercise in international waters in the lower reaches of the South China Sea.

Addressing leaders at the Dec 17 summit, PM Lee said Japan and Asean should work together to promote a "stable, open and inclusive regional and international order, based on the rule of law".