Tokyo, Nov. 15 (Jiji Press)–Singaporean Ambassador to Japan Ong Eng Chuan has expressed hope that the upcoming official visit to his country by Japan’s Princess Aiko will further deepen ties between the two countries. In a recent interview with media organizations including Jiji Press, Ong, 58, said that the first trip to the Southeast Asian country by a member of the Japanese Imperial Family since a visit by Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko 20 years ago, when they were Emperor and Empress, will be a major event for Singapore. The ambassador guided Princess Aiko when she visited the Singapore pavilion at the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka, a city in western Japan, in May last year. He said the princess showed an interest in Singapore’s urban greening policies, particularly crossings designed to allow animals to safely cross expressways. At the pavilion, Princess Aiko, daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, wrote “world peace” in a section where visitors could write their dreams. Ong described the words as very meaningful, citing ongoing wars around the world. The Japanese occupation of Singapore, which lasted three and a half years from February 1942, during World War II, until the end of the war, was certainly not a good period, the ambassador said, voicing hope that the lessons of history would be kept alive as Singapore and Japan build a forward-looking relationship. This year marks the 60th anniversary of Japan and Singapore establishing diplomatic relations in 1966. Ong described the 2006 visit by the then Japanese Imperial couple as the biggest milestone in bilateral relations. The ambassador added that he wants to deepen ties with Japan in not only the economic field but also various new areas. Ong said he hopes that Princess Aiko, during her upcoming visit, will experience Singapore’s multicultural society firsthand and see and feel how people of different ethnic groups can live together harmoniously. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
