Ruling Parties of Japan, Singapore Agree to Bolster Cooperation

Singapore, July 24 (Jiji Press)–Koichi Hagiuda, executive acting secretary-general of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and Desmond Lee, chairman of Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party, on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation between the two parties. The signing took place in a meeting at the PAP’s headquarters in Singapore, in which Hagiuda and Lee discussed energy security and exchanges between the two parties. “We’re working to produce results through multilayered diplomacy under the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi,” Hagiuda told reporters after the meeting. He explained that the administration is deepening coordination on overseas visits by Japanese government and ruling party officials. The LDP executive also mentioned Japan’s soured ties with China, saying: “Previously, the LDP and the Communist Party of China moved to mediate through their exchanges when relations between the two governments were strained, but that role has now weakened.” “We will pursue exchanges among ruling parties in Asia as a whole,” Hagiuda added, while expressing willingness to help improve Japan-China relations. Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who leads the PAP, proposed deepening exchanges between the Japanese and Singaporean ruling parties to LDP executives when he visited Japan in March. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]