Toast by President S R Nathan to Emperor Akihito of Japan at the State Banquet

Your Majesties
Your Excellencies
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

     It is with much pleasure and honour that my wife and I welcome Your Majesties to Singapore.  Although Your Majesties have visited Singapore twice in 1970 and 1981, this is the first State Visit from Japan since our independence.  From your previous visits, I am sure Your Majesties carry many vivid and happy memories of the Singapore of those times.  We hope this visit will offer Your Majesties an opportunity to revisit some of those places and relive past experiences.

     Your Majesties, Singapore and Japan enjoy longstanding relations.  The relationship has, over last 40 years, since our independence, taken form and substance.  This has been most tangibly demonstrated in the form of your country’s contributions towards our economic development.

     Looking back to Your Majesties’ then visit to the Jurong Industrial area, Your Majesties would have found the present Jurong area unrecognisable.  Compared to the swampy backwater that it was in 1970, Jurong has been transformed into an important engine of Singapore’s economic prosperity and developed into a significant residential area.  This was due no less to the many Japanese companies that took the risk with us – a young fledgling country with a big idea of developing an industrial estate in the 1970s.

     Today, Japanese companies continue to play a critical role in Singapore’s economic well-being.  The nature of Japanese investments in Singapore has changed in substance and quality.  In 1970, there were 60 Japanese companies in Singapore and Japanese investments totalled S$115 million.  Today, more than 2,200 Japanese firms are here and cumulative Japanese investment in Singapore stands at S$37.6 billion.  Jurong has in many ways become a symbol of what Singapore and Japan can achieve together with a forward-looking relationship.

     Bilateral economic cooperation between Singapore and Japan has broadened over the years.  Several upmarket Japanese investments continue to be made in Singapore in such fields as Electronics, Chemicals and Engineering.  But Japanese companies are also looking at business opportunities in the area of Intellectual Property, while others are setting up operations in new frontiers like Digital Media and Education.  Several Japanese Scientists, some of whom are here tonight, are working with teams of scientists in our Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology and the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology.  They are jointly researching into areas that will go towards making major contributions to the advancement of Medical Science and products relevant to the treatment of various forms of cancer and illnesses.  With the close and strong friendship that our countries have forged for the past 40 years, I am sure we will see even greater opportunities for cooperation and exchanges in the years ahead.

     Cultural exchanges remain an important component of our bilateral relations.  With frequent interactions between the peoples of our two countries, we can better understand and appreciate each other.  I am glad Your Majesties were able to visit our new National Library today, where a skit was performed on the origins of Bukit Merah.  The young children who performed the skit were delighted and touched by Your Majesties’ interest and encouragement.  As these were children from lower income families in Singapore, I am certain this very special event would have opened their eyes to the world beyond them and of Japan.  Your Majesties’ gracious presence among them will certainly arouse new interest in Japan among our young and encourage them to read and discover more about Japan.

Your Majesties
Your Excellencies
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

     It is now my great pleasure to invite you to join me in a toast:

     -  To the good health and well-being of Their Majesties The Emperor and Empress;
     -  To the close friendship between the governments and peoples of Japan and Singapore.