Mr Onishi Yohei, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs and Member of the House of Representatives of Japan
Mr Fukuda Tatsuo, Chief Secretary of the Parliamentary Association for ASEAN Council of Japan Alumni (ASCOJA) and Asia Japan Alumni International (ASJA) and Member of the House of Representatives of Japan
Mr Ishikawa Hiroshi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Singapore
Ms Shen Yue, President of the Japanese University Graduates Association of Singapore (JUGAS)
Mr Ogawa Gotaro, Director of ASJA
Representatives from the Embassy of Japan in Singapore
Representatives from the ASJA, ASCOJA, and JUGAS
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. Good morning. Ohayou gozaimasu.
2. It is my sincere privilege to join you today. Looking around the room, I see people whose connection with Japan continues to endure through the friendships you formed, the perspectives you gained, and the work you have gone on to do in Singapore, across ASEAN, and beyond. It is especially meaningful to have so many of you here, united by a shared connection with Japan and a commitment to strengthen Japan-ASEAN ties. I want to begin by congratulating ASJA, ASCOJA, and JUGAS for bringing this community together. It is also a particular honour to have with us Mr Fukuda Tatsuo, whose family name is closely associated with the Fukuda doctrine that underpins today's discussion.
Celebrating Two Important Milestones
3. 2026 marks SJ60, sixty years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Japan. Over the past six decades, our two countries have built strong and enduring ties spanning trade and investment, education, technology and innovation, as well as deep people-to-people exchanges. These ties have been built and sustained, generation after generation, by people much like those gathered here today – individuals who have lived and learned in both societies, and who continue to serve as bridges between them.
4. This year also marks the fifty-fifth anniversary of JUGAS. Since its establishment in 1970, JUGAS has brought together Singaporeans and Singapore-based graduates of Japanese universities, helping them maintain their connections with Japan and with one another.
5. These milestones are not only occasions to celebrate how far we have come. They also invite us to consider what the next chapter of our relationships should look like. This is especially timely as Singapore prepares to assume the ASEAN Chairmanship next year. Japan has been one of ASEAN's longstanding and steadfast dialogue partners, and the conversations and connections forged in this room will contribute to our broader regional partnership.
The Enduring Relevance of "Heart-to-Heart" Relationship
6. Today's symposium takes the Fukuda Doctrine as its starting point. Its emphasis on "heart-to-heart" relationships, built on mutual trust, understanding, and peaceful cooperation, remains highly relevant. In fact, what Mr Fukuda was sharing is similar to the Malay proverb "berat sama dipikul, ringan sama dijinjing" - having strong mutual trust to carry things together on our shoulders when they are "heavy and difficult", and also when things are "light", as a symbol of power in hardship and trust. The challenges facing our region today are very different from those of the 1970s, when the Fukuda Doctrine was first articulated. Technological disruption and Artificial Intelligence (AI), changing supply chains, energy transition, demographic shifts, and the increasingly complex geopolitical environment are reshaping our societies and economies. The challenges have changed considerably over the past five decades. But one thing that has not changed is that meaningful cooperation still begins with trust between people.
Why People and Education Matters
7. This is where education plays an important role. When students choose to study in another country, they experience the country not just as visitors, but through a deep immersion in its education system, culture and ways of thinking. These students will go on to become educators, researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs, business leaders and community leaders, and carry with them the relationships and understanding developed through their experiences abroad. When we invest in the education of one generation, we are also investing in the relationships that generation will build with the world.
8. We are seeing strengthening connections between Singapore and Japan. According to the Japan Student Services Organization, 455 Singaporean students were enrolled in Japanese higher education institutions as of May 2025, 14% more than before the COVID pandemic. While the numbers may not be large, each student represents a new relationship being formed and another bridge between our societies.
Preparing the Next Generation for a Changing World
9. As our world changes, we must also prepare our young people to navigate a future increasingly shaped by technology. Beyond technical knowledge, they will need to think critically and creatively, adapt to change, collaborate across disciplines and borders, and continue learning throughout their lives.
10. In Singapore, we have therefore placed strong emphasis on developing digital and AI competencies across our education system. Beyond learning about AI and how to use AI tools, our students need to appreciate their possibilities and limitations, exercise judgement and apply AI responsibly and meaningfully in whichever domain that they are in.
11. These are not challenges that Singapore faces alone. Japan and our ASEAN partners are similarly considering how best to respond to AI and digitalisation, changes in the nature of work, sustainability and demographic shifts. There is much we can learn from one another.
12. This is also where the themes of today's symposium – resilience, technology and innovation – come together. Across all three, there is a common thread: the quality of our partnerships, and our collective ability to navigate uncertainty, ultimately depends on the quality of the people who build trust, bridge differences and collaborate effectively across borders.
The Alumni Community as a Living Asset
13. This brings me back to the community gathered here today. This community is uniquely positioned because of your deep immersion in Japan's education, culture and professional norms. The networks embody decades of accumulated trust, understanding and goodwill between Japan and ASEAN.
14. The question is how we can build on this strong foundation for the future. Beyond maintaining friendships and shared memories, alumni networks can actively shape the next generation of Singaporeans who will engage Japan, through the mentoring younger students, facilitating professional and academic connections, promoting cultural understanding, and creating new opportunities for young people to engage with Japan and ASEAN.
15. As Singapore prepares to assume the ASEAN Chairmanship next year, these connections can take on even greater significance. Many of you have lived, studied and worked across Singapore, Japan and ASEAN. These shared experiences help foster mutual understanding and trust across borders, which are essential for effective regional cooperation. The perspectives and networks you bring can also help deepen collaboration in areas such as education, research, technology, innovation and sustainability. There are so many challenges of the world tomorrow that we may not be able to predict, but it is through the mutual trust and cooperation we have today that will sustain and endure and enable us to work together to solve the issues of tomorrow.
16. I therefore encourage the ASJA, ASCOJA and JUGAS communities to continue evolving from networking to collaboration, from exchanges to lasting partnerships, and from preserving memories to creating new opportunities for the next generation. The friendships formed through education are valuable in themselves. But their greatest value may lie in what we do with them for those who come after us.
Looking Ahead
17. As we celebrate SJ60 and JUGAS55, we should look not only at what has been achieved, but also at the relationships we want to build over the decades ahead. The next generation will face challenges that no country can address alone. Strong, trusted and people-centred regional partnerships will become even more important.
18. The spirit of "heart-to-heart" relations gives us a strong foundation. The next chapter can take us further, from understanding one another to co-creating solutions together, drawing on our different experiences and strengths to address shared challenges.
19. I encourage all of you to make full use of today's symposium, not only to exchange ideas, but also to build new relationships and identify new areas for collaboration.
20. Thank you, and I wish you a most meaningful symposium.