Japan PM Kishida to make official visit to Singapore, deliver keynote at Shangri-La Dialogue

JAPANESE Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will travel to Singapore on Friday (June 10) at the invitation of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, with Kishida set to deliver the keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue that evening.

In a statement on Thursday, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that Kishida’s visit “underscores the excellent relations” between the 2 countries, and builds upon the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2021.

Kishida, who became Japan’s prime minister in October 2021, will attend a welcome ceremony held in his honour at the Istana on Saturday. He will call on President Halimah Yacob and meet PM Lee, who will also host an official lunch. Following a long-standing tradition by the Singapore government, Kishida will have a new orchid hybrid named in his honour during his 2-day visit.

The 19th edition of the Shangri-La Dialogue takes place from Friday to Sunday, with the event returning for the first time in 3 years as the 2020 and 2021 editions were not held due to the Covid-19 pandemic. At the last Shangri-La Dialogue in 2019, PM Lee was the keynote speaker.

This weekend’s conference will see 37 ministerial-level delegates and over 30 senior defence officials from 42 countries in attendance. In a separate statement, Singapore’s Ministry of Defence said that President Halimah will host the delegates to a dinner at the Istana on Saturday.

Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen will speak at a plenary session on Saturday on the topic “New Ideas for Securing Regional Stability”. He will also host visiting ministers to roundtable discussions Saturday and Sunday, and conduct bilateral meetings with ministers and senior officials from various countries on the event’s sidelines.