Visit to Singapore by Minister for Foreign Affairs Koichiro Gemba Courtesy Call on Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong (Overview)

On Wednesday, October 12, during his visit to Singapore, Minister for Foreign Affairs Koichiro Gemba paid a courtesy call on Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong for approximately 40 minutes, beginning around 11:45 AM (local time). The following is an overview of the meeting.

1. At the beginning of the meeting, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh expressed his pleasure that Minister Gemba was visiting Singapore.
   
   
2. In response, Minister Gemba congratulated Emeritus Senior Minister Goh on being awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun and expressed his appreciation for the enormous contributions that the emeritus senior minister had made to strengthening Japan-Singapore relations. He also expressed his gratitude for the kind support provided by Singapore following the Great East Japan Earthquake and stated that Japan wants to actively cooperate with Singapore not only on bilateral relations but also on regional and international issues.
   
   
3. Minister Gemba explained that the Noda Administration is making the utmost efforts towards recovery and reconstruction, that the situation at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station is steadily being resolved, and that Japan would like to share the lessons it has learned from the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station with the international community and to contribute to enhancing nuclear safety throughout the world. Emeritus Senior Minister Goh responded by saying that the problem of radioactivity was delicate and that it was important for experts to debate  the issue based on facts, with transparency.
   
   
4. While discussing how economic partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region should be, Minister Gemba stated that Japan was having thorough discussion about joining negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement and would like to make a decision at an early stage. Emeritus Senior Minister Goh expressed his support for Japan’s participation in the TPP.
   
   
5. Also, regarding regional affairs, Minister Gemba and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh agreed on the importance of the East Asia Summit.