Visit to Singapore by Minister for Foreign Affairs Koichiro Gemba Courtesy Call on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (Overview)

On Wednesday, October 12, during his visit to Singapore, Minister for Foreign Affairs Koichiro Gemba paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for approximately 35 minutes, beginning around 12:30 PM (local time). The following is an overview of the meeting.

1. At the beginning of the meeting, Prime Minister Lee expressed his pleasure that Minister Gemba was visiting Singapore shortly after taking office.
   
   
2. In response, Minister Gemba reiterated his statement of appreciation for the kind support provided by Singapore following the Great East Japan Earthquake and stated that Japan would like to actively cooperate with Singapore, which shares its basic interests and views with Japan and acts as an economic hub for Southeast Asia, not only on bilateral relations but also on regional and international issues. In addition, he stated that the disaster-affected areas and the overall Japanese economy were making steady progress in reconstruction and expressed his hopes for the success of the Cool Japan overseas expansion projects under way in Singapore.
   
   
3. Prime Minister Lee explained his views on the global economy to Minister Gemba. In particular, he noted that the outlook for ASEAN was not bad, and that Singapore would like to deepen economic integration in the region and strengthen its partnerships with countries, including Japan.
   
   
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. Prime Minister Lee responded by saying that Singapore would welcome Japan’s participation and that it would be desirable for Japan to join negotiations as soon as possible.
   
   
5. As for the East Asia Summit (EAS), Minister Gemba explained his view on the importance of deepening discussions and promoting cooperation among Japan and other countries in the region, including ASEAN member countries, on the ocean as a public good. In regard to cooperation between Japan and ASEAN, he noted Japan’s focus on enhancing connectivity and cooperating in the area of disaster management. Prime Minister Lee stated that he would like to have constructive discussions at the ASEAN Summit.