S'PORE, JAPAN FURTHER DEFENCE RELATIONS WITH SIGNING OF MDE

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean and the Japanese Minister of Defense Toshimi Kitazawa signed a Memorandum on Defence Exchanges (MDE) at the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo, Japan, on 16 Dec.

The MDE will serve to strengthen bilateral defence ties between the two nations by formalising existing interactions, including the exchange of visits by defence officials, policy dialogues, military staff talks and cross-attendance of courses and seminars.

The agreement will also allow the armed forces of Singapore and Japan to better cooperate with each other in areas such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, protection against Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Explosive (CBRE) threats, as well as peace support operations.

The signing of the MDE underscores the warm and friendly defence ties between Singapore and Japan, and their commitment to strengthening defence cooperation for peace and stability in the region.

Prior to the MDE signing ceremony, Mr Teo met Mr Kitazawa and visited the Technical Research and Development Institute's Electronic Equipment Laboratory. Mr Teo also met with Mr Seiji Maehara, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

Mr Teo will subsequently be calling on Japan's Deputy Prime Minister and National Strategy Minster Naoto Kan and meeting with Minster of Foreign Affairs Katsuya Okada on 17 Dec.