SINGAPORE: With the world entering "uncharted waters", Japan can play a "valuable stabilising role" in Southeast Asia and the wider Asia-Pacific region, said Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Wednesday (Apr 2).

Mr Lee was speaking at the launch of the book, The Land of the Rising Sun and the Lion City: The Story of Japan and Singapore, held at the National Library Building.

In his speech, Mr Lee said that fundamental questions are being raised on "longstanding assumptions underpinning defence alliances, nuclear deterrence and non-proliferation".

"In such an environment, I believe Japan can play a useful stabilising role, and contribute to the wellbeing not just of Southeast Asia, but of the wider Asia-Pacific," Mr Lee said.

"That is why I encouraged Japan’s greater participation in regional security matters in 2022 ... and again at the 2023 ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit."

Mr Lee added that he hopes Japan and countries in Asia will have "the wisdom and political leadership" to continue growing friendships and collectively contribute to regional peace and prosperity. 

He added that Japan has played an increasing role in regional security cooperation over the past decade.

The country started engaging in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers’ Meeting in 2014. In 2023 it strengthened its security cooperation with the bloc, especially in maritime security, cyber security, and disarmament and non-proliferation.

Mr Lee said that Singapore welcomes Japan's greater contributions to peace and stability in the region, with Japan being a "steadfast friend and partner" for more than half a century.

Singapore and Japan also share similar outlooks on many issues, such as the importance of upholding the multilateral trading system and a rules-based international and regional order.

"Singapore is, and will always be, a trusted and reliable partner for Japan in this joint endeavour."

SECURITY COOPERATION

In his speech, Mr Lee also touched on the transformation of bilateral ties between Singapore and Japan since World War II, from a painful wartime past to pragmatic post-war economic collaboration.

However, Mr Lee said that the topic of security cooperation between the two countries has been a sensitive one for many years due to this history.

"For the generation who had lived through (World War II) and the occupation, in many countries in East and Southeast Asia, that was a bridge too far," he added.

This was the reason why in the 1977 Fukuda doctrine, Japan rejected a military power role despite the ability to rearm and produce nuclear weapons, Mr Lee said. 

Even in 1991, when Japan sent minesweepers overseas to support coalition forces in the Gulf War, many Asians "were uneasy".

But Mr Lee noted that things have changed with time, and the current generations do not "carry the same emotional scars" from the war.

The Japanese people today also hold different social and political values compared to those before the war, and the country's successive prime ministers have also sought to build trust with the rest of Asia through words and actions over the years, Mr Lee said. 

"Successive Japanese governments have also taken deliberate steps to explain Japan’s security posture, and to show sensitivity to historical concerns," said Mr Lee.

On the current global situation, Mr Lee noted that there are now three nuclear powers in the Asia Pacific, excluding North Korea.

There is also "intense rivalry" between the United States and China, as well as tensions in the Taiwan Strait, East China Sea and South China Sea, said Mr Lee.

"This has shifted attitudes in Southeast Asia and caused countries to rethink their policies on security cooperation with Japan."