The Singapore Law Gazette

Six Decades, A New Chapter

Singapore–Japan Relations and the Legal Profession

From Professional Exchange to Strategic Partnership

(A reflection for SJ60)

1. Introduction

In Japanese culture, turning 60 marks the beginning of a new cycle of life, a tradition known as kanreki (還暦). It is fitting, then, that as Japan and Singapore mark the 60th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, the two countries are entering a new era as “Strategic Partners”.¹Prime Minister’s Office Singapore, ‘Joint Statement on the Establishment of a Strategic Partnership Between Japan and the Republic of Singapore’ (18 March 2026) <https://www.pmo.gov.sg/newsroom/joint-statement-on-the-establishment-of-a-strategic-partnership-between-japan-and-singapore/> (last accessed 31 August 2026). The anniversary offers an opportunity to reflect on how the relationship has evolved over the past six decades, and to consider what this next chapter may mean for the legal professions of both countries.

Since diplomatic relations were established in 1966, Japan and Singapore have progressed from cooperation centred on development assistance and the sharing of expertise to a broad and sophisticated partnership encompassing trade and investment, technology, security, energy, and regional cooperation. As businesses, institutions and individuals from both countries increasingly operate across borders, this deepening relationship has brought with it a growing need for lawyers in both jurisdictions to understand one another’s legal systems, practices and professional environments.

The legal professions have developed alongside the broader bilateral relationship. From early exchanges between the Law Society of Singapore (“LSS”) and Japanese bar associations to the establishment of formal institutional ties and cooperation on substantive legal issues, these relationships have provided a foundation for closer professional collaboration. LSS’s Foreign Bar Liaison Committee – Japan Chapter (“Japan Chapter”) represents the latest development in these efforts. Through its engagement with Japanese bar associations, the Japan Chapter seeks to strengthen these connections and foster greater understanding and cooperation between the legal professions of Singapore and Japan.

2. From Development Partner to Strategic Partner

When Singapore became independent in 1965, Japan was already developing into an important economic partner. Japanese investment contributed to Singapore’s early industrialisation, while Singaporean policymakers also looked to Japan’s experience as they considered how a newly independent city-state could build its economy and institutions. Singapore’s first Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s visit to Japan during this period reflected this interest. Mr Lee observed Japan’s recovery and rapid economic growth closely, including its approach to industrial development and productivity.²Japan International Cooperation Agency, The 50th Anniversary of Japan-Singapore Diplomatic Relations: History of Friendship and Cooperation (2016) <https://www.jica.go.jp/Resource/english/publications/brochures/c8h0vm0000avs7w2-att/singapore_friendship.pdf> (last accessed 31 August 2026).

This interest led to several concrete forms of cooperation during the 1970s and 1980s. The Japan-Singapore Training Centre opened in 1978, followed by the Japan-Singapore Institute for Software Technology in 1980.³Ibid. Singapore subsequently worked with Japan on the Productivity Development Project (“PDP”) from 1983 to 1990, through which Japanese productivity practices and expertise were shared with the National Productivity Board (“NPB”). Japanese technical cooperation also supported Singapore’s adoption of the koban (交番), or neighbourhood police post system.⁴Ibid. These projects covered very different aspects of Singapore’s development but shared a common feature, namely that Singapore was drawing on Japanese experience while adapting it to local circumstances.

By the 1990s, however, the relationship was becoming more reciprocal. In 1994, Singapore and Japan launched the Japan-Singapore Partnership Programme (“JSPP”), under which the two countries jointly provided technical cooperation to developing countries.⁵Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore, ‘MFA Press Statement: Japan-Singapore Partnership Programme for the 21st Century (JSPP21)’ (9 July 2007) <https://www.mfa.gov.sg/newsroom/press-statements-transcripts-and-photos/mfa-press-statement-japansingapore-partnership-programme-for-the-21st-century-jspp21-09-jul-2007/> (last accessed 31 August 2026). The programme was renamed the Japan-Singapore Partnership Programme for the 21^st Century (“JSPP21”) in 1997, when the two sides agreed to share its costs equally and to pursue cooperation on the basis of an equal partnership. The programme has since supported capacity-building across areas including trade and investment, information and communications technology, urban development, and governance, particularly in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (“ASEAN”) countries.⁶Ibid.

By the turn of the century, the relationship had changed considerably. Japan was no longer simply a source of investment, expertise and development experience. Singapore had become an important base for Japanese companies operating in the region. This closer economic relationship was formalised in the Japan-Singapore Economic Partnership Agreement (“JSEPA”), which entered into force in 2002.⁷International Energy Agency, ‘Japan-Singapore Economic Partnership Agreement (JSEPA)’ (13 June 2024) <https://www.iea.org/policies/18778-japan-singapore-economic-partnership-agreement-jsepa> (last accessed 31 August 2026). JSEPA was Japan’s first bilateral economic partnership agreement and provided for the liberalisation of trade in goods and services, greater investment protection and wider economic cooperation. Its significance went beyond the removal of tariffs as the agreement also provided a legal framework for increasingly complex economic activity between the two countries.⁸Ibid.

The scope of cooperation has continued to widen. Singapore and Japan work together through regional and multilateral institutions including Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (“APEC”), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Plus Three (“ASEAN Plus Three”), the World Trade Organisation (“WTO”), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (“RCEP”) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (“CPTPP”), and share a commitment to a rules-based, free and open international order. Bilateral cooperation has also extended into areas such as digitalisation, security, energy and the environment.⁹Prime Minister’s Office Singapore, ‘Joint Statement on the Establishment of a Strategic Partnership Between Japan and the Republic of Singapore’ (18 March 2026) <https://www.pmo.gov.sg/newsroom/joint-statement-on-the-establishment-of-a-strategic-partnership-between-japan-and-singapore/> (last accessed 31 August 2026).

This broader relationship entered a new phase in March 2026, when Singapore and Japan established a Strategic Partnership to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations. The accompanying joint statement identified five priority areas for future cooperation: free trade and economic cooperation; digitalisation and technology; security and defence; green transition and energy cooperation; and partnership and exchange.¹⁰Koh Wan Ting, ‘Singapore and Japan Upgrade Ties to Strategic Partnership, Expand Cooperation in Five Areas’ Channel News Asia (18 March 2026) <https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/singapore-japan-upgrade-ties-strategic-partnership-lawrence-wong-sanae-takaichi-6001031> (last accessed 31 August 2026).

The Strategic Partnership builds on six decades of increasingly broad and reciprocal cooperation. For Singapore, Japan’s role has developed from that of a source of investment, expertise and development experience into that of a partner across a wide range of economic, technological and regional issues. The legal professions have developed alongside this relationship, with exchanges between Singaporean and Japanese lawyers providing another channel through which the two countries have built mutual understanding and cooperation.

3. From Exchange to Institutional Cooperation

The relationship between the two legal professions has its roots in exchanges that predate the current Strategic Partnership by more than two decades. One early example is on 10 February 2000, when LSS hosted a delegation from the Japan Federation of Bar Associations’ (“JFBA”) Foreign Lawyers and International Legal Practice Committee.¹¹Adeline Ang, ‘Japanese Delegation Visits Law Society’ Law Gazette (March 2000) <https://v1.lawgazette.com.sg/2000-3/societyevents.htm> (last accessed 31 August 2026). The discussion focused on issues that were becoming increasingly relevant to both jurisdictions, including Singapore’s policies concerning foreign lawyers, law corporations, and multidisciplinary practices. The two sides also agreed to continue exchanging information as their respective legal frameworks developed.¹²Ibid.

Nearly two decades later, the relationship had become more structured. On 7 January 2019, LSS and the Daini Tokyo Bar Association signed a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) establishing a mutual lawyer referral programme.¹³Daini Tokyo Bar Association, ‘A Delegation from the Singapore Bar Association Visited Japan’ (6 July 2019) <https://niben.jp/en/news/report/2019/190607105948.html > (last accessed 31 August 2026). The arrangement provided a practical channel for lawyers in each jurisdiction to connect their clients with counterparts in the other, reflecting the increasingly cross-border nature of legal work. Two months later, a delegation of LSS Members, including its President, visited the association in Tokyo and the Tokyo District Court.¹⁴Ibid. The programme included an exchange of views, a question-and-answer session, an observation of a criminal trial hearing, and discussions on the work of the two organisations. The Singapore delegation also expressed significant interest in Daini Tokyo’s active committees on gender equality and support for elderly and disabled persons.¹⁵Ibid. This visit provided an opportunity for Singaporean and Japanese lawyers to learn from each other’s professional institutions as well as legal systems.

That year also marked a broader expansion in the scope of Singapore–Japan legal cooperation. On 12 March 2019, Singapore and Japan convened their first high-level joint legal conference in Tokyo through the Singapore Ministry of Law and the Japan Association of Arbitrators (“JAA”), bringing together participants from government, private practice, business, dispute resolution, and academia.¹⁶Ministry of Law Singapore, ‘Singapore, Japan Holds First High-Level Joint Legal Conference’ (12 March 2019) <https://www.mlaw.gov.sg/news/press-releases/singapore–japan-holds-first-high-level-joint-legal-conference/> (last accessed 31 August 2026 Its focus on technology, regional business opportunities, and cross-border strategic partnerships reflected how far the relationship had moved beyond the narrower scope that had characterised earlier professional exchanges. Dispute resolution was a key part of that development, as the Ministry of Law stated in a press release for the conference, “arbitration cases filed with the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (‘SIAC’) involving parties from Japan more than doubled from 13 in 2016 to 30 in 2018.”¹⁷Ibid. The event therefore demonstrated a growing recognition that the legal relationship between the two countries was closely tied to the wider expansion of commercial and institutional links between them.

Engagement continued throughout the pandemic. LSS held virtual networking sessions with Daini Tokyo Bar Association in February and November 2021, as well as with the Aichi Bar Association in April. ¹⁸LSS, ‘Lawyers Go Global Programme’ <https://www.lawsociety.org.sg/lawyers-go-global-programme/> (last accessed 31 August 2026). Although the pandemic made physical visits difficult, the continuation of these events provided opportunities for practitioners to meet their counterparts and maintain professional connections when physical visits were not possible.

By the early 2020s, LSS’s engagement with Japanese counterparts had developed into a network involving the Japan Federation of Bar Associations and individual bar associations in Tokyo and Aichi, alongside practical arrangements such as lawyer referrals and regular professional exchanges. This provided the institutional groundwork for the more active Japan-focused engagement that followed in 2025 and 2026.

4. Where Business Meets Law

Singapore is home to a substantial and growing community of Japanese businesses. The Japan External Trade Organisation’s (“JETRO”) 2025 survey received valid responses from 477 Japanese-affiliated firms in Singapore, covering sectors ranging from trading and information and communications to construction and transport.¹⁹Japan External Trade Organization Singapore Representative Office, Survey on Business Conditions of Japanese-Affiliated Companies in Singapore (2025) <https://www.jetro.go.jp/ext_images/singapore/research/reports/fr2025.pdf> (last accessed 31 August 2026). Many of these companies use Singapore as a base for their wider Southeast Asian operations, bringing Japanese and Singaporean businesses into closer contact. Furthermore, 43.9% of Japanese firms in Singapore plan on expanding over the next one to two years, which is an increase in the proportion of companies planning to expand for the second consecutive year.²⁰Ibid.

The legal market has developed alongside this commercial relationship between Singapore and Japan. Japanese law firms have established offices in Singapore to advise Japanese clients on their local and regional activities. Nishimura & Asahi, for example, opened its Singapore office in 2012 and entered into a Formal Law Alliance with Bayfront Law in 2020.²¹Nishimura & Asahi, ‘Singapore’ <https://www.nishimura.com/en/global-coverage/singapore> (last accessed 31 August 2026). The alliance was the first formal law alliance in Singapore involving a Japanese law firm. It brought together Japanese and Singaporean lawyers on a common platform, including for cross-border M&A and international arbitration. Anderson Mori & Tomotsune has likewise operated a Singapore office since 2013, advising Japanese companies on matters including M&A, finance, regulatory issues and disputes.²²Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, ‘Singapore Office’ <https://www.amt-law.com/en/locations/singapore/> (last accessed 31 August 2026).

International dispute resolution is an especially visible point of contact. Japanese companies have become significant users of Singapore’s dispute-resolution services. The SIAC reported that the number of cases involving Japanese parties more than doubled from 13 in 2016 to 30 in 2018.²³Ministry of Law Singapore, ‘Singapore, Japan Holds First High-Level Joint Legal Conference’ (12 March 2019) <https://www.mlaw.gov.sg/news/press-releases/singapore–japan-holds-first-high-level-joint-legal-conference/> (last accessed 31 August 2026). SIAC has continued to engage with Japanese businesses and practitioners since then. In 2022, it worked with the ASEAN-Japan Centre and Singapore International Mediation Centre on a series addressing dispute-resolution issues faced by Japanese companies operating in ASEAN.²⁴Singapore International Mediation Centre, ‘Addressing the Dispute Resolution Challenges of Japanese Companies Doing Business in ASEAN’ (23 May 2022) <https://simc.com.sg/insights/addressing-dispute-resolution-challenges-japanese-companies-doing-business-asean> (last accessed 31 August 2026). In 2023, SIAC’s annual conference in Tokyo focused specifically on the needs of Japanese users of international dispute resolution.²⁵Singapore International Arbitration Centre, ‘The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) Hosted Its Annual Tokyo Conference on 5 July 2023 at the Imperial Hotel’ LinkedIn (18 July 2023) <https://www.linkedin.com/posts/singapore-international-arbitration-centre_siac-arbitration-tokyoconference-activity-7086891197717254144-kdZ-> (last accessed 31 August 2026).

These developments have consequences beyond individual transactions and disputes. A Singapore lawyer acting for a Japanese client may need to work with Japanese counsel, and a Japanese lawyer advising a client entering Singapore may need a Singapore counterpart. The relationship between the two legal professions therefore has a practical dimension. Knowing whom to call, understanding how the other profession operates and having established channels for exchanging information can make cross-border work considerably easier.

This is where the LSS’s relationship with Japanese bar associations becomes particularly relevant. The formal exchanges described above have created opportunities for lawyers to learn about each other’s legal systems and practices. The Japan Chapter now provides a more focused platform for developing those relationships and for turning them into continuing professional connections.

5. The Japan Chapter: Building the Next Generation of Legal Ties

LSS’s Japan Chapter provides a dedicated platform for continuing LSS’s engagement with Japanese bar associations. Its work includes professional exchanges, jointly organised events, and opportunities for lawyers from both countries to learn more about each other’s practice and legal systems.

Recent activities have covered a broad range of engagement. On 18 February 2025, the Japan Chapter organised an online exchange with the Osaka Bar Association.²⁶LSS, ‘Last Evening, We Had a Great Online Exchange Session with Our Friends from the Osaka Bar Association (OBA)!’ LinkedIn (19 February 2025) <https://www.linkedin.com/posts/the-law-society-of-singapore_lawsocietysg-%E5%A4%A7%E9%98%AA%E5%BC%81%E8%AD%B7%E5%A3%AB%E4%BC%9A-osakabarassociation-activity-7297868967707062272-YNPa> (last accessed 31 August 2026). Young lawyers from both sides spoke about what had drawn them to the profession, the challenges they faced in practice and their interests outside of work. The discussion was informal, but it offered participants the opportunity to meet lawyers at a similar stage of their careers and to learn about professional life in another jurisdiction.

The Japan Chapter has also facilitated discussion on more specialised areas of practice. On 22 August 2025, LSS signed a Friendship Agreement with the Dai-Ichi Tokyo Bar Association alongside a joint seminar on international arbitration and mediation and anti-money laundering.²⁷LSS, ‘Strengthening Ties with Dai-Ichi Tokyo Bar Association’ LinkedIn (22 August 2025) <https://www.linkedin.com/posts/the-law-society-of-singapore_lawsocietysg-lssir-daiichitokyobarassociation-activity-7364656788220076032-K4Ik> (last accessed 31 August 2026). The choice of topics reflects issues that arise in cross-border practice. International arbitration and mediation are closely connected to the movement of investment and commercial activity between jurisdictions, while anti-money laundering requirements require businesses and lawyers to navigate increasingly sophisticated regulatory obligations.

The relationship with Fukuoka Bar Association marks another stage of this work. On 11 March 2026, the two organisations signed an MOU and held discussions covering their respective legal systems, professional development, and possible areas of future cooperation.²⁸LSS, ‘MOU Signing with the Fukuoka Bar Association’ LinkedIn (12 March 2026) <https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mou-with-fukuoka-bar-association-ugcPost-7437787265734668288-beJL/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAABeWlZ8BRL2bM929lDqbcPEo5p3yDuRW518> (last accessed 31 August 2026). The agreement added another Japanese bar association to LSS’s network of institutional relationships.

The activities of the Japan Chapter span several forms of engagement serving different purposes, but are connected by the same practical objective of making interaction between the two legal professions easier and more familiar, an objective which takes on greater importance as Singapore and Japan deepen their economic and strategic ties.

6. Law in the Next Phase of the Strategic Partnership

The Strategic Partnership will bring the legal professions into contact with a wider range of cross-border issues. Some are already familiar, but others will become more prominent as Singapore and Japan cooperate in new areas.

Economic cooperation remains the most immediate example. Japanese companies operating in Singapore and Singaporean businesses entering Japan may require advice on investment structures, corporate transactions, finance, competition, and regulatory approvals. The legal framework is not confined to domestic law. The JSEPA, together with wider agreements such as the CPTPP and RCEP, provides rules governing areas including services, investment, intellectual property, and the movement of business persons. Lawyers advising on cross-border transactions may thus need to consider how treaty commitments interact with the domestic regulatory regimes of both jurisdictions.

International dispute resolution will remain another important point of contact. As commercial activity expands, parties negotiating cross-border contracts must consider not only the governing law, but also the appropriate forum for resolving disputes, the seat and language of any arbitration, and the enforceability of awards or settlements. For Singaporean and Japanese businesses, that may involve choosing between institutions such as the SIAC and the Japan Commercial Arbitration Association (“JCAA”), each operating within a different legal and procedural environment. The JCAA, for example, provides for expedited and emergency arbitration under its current rules,²⁹Global Law Experts, ‘Arbitration Lawyers Japan 2026: JCAA Rules, Emergency Arbitration & Enforcement’ (8 May 2026) <https://globallawexperts.com/arbitration-lawyers-japan-2026-jcaa-rules-emergency-arbitration-enforcement/> (last accessed 31 August 2026). while its 2024 Commercial Mediation Rules provide a framework for mediated settlements that may, where the Convention’s requirements are satisfied and the parties have agreed to its application, benefit from the enforcement framework of the Singapore Convention on Mediation (“SCM”).³⁰Japan Commercial Arbitration Association, ‘Mediation Rules’ (2024) <https://www.jcaa.or.jp/en/mediation/rules.html> (last accessed 31 August 2026). These choices make familiarity with both jurisdictions valuable at the drafting stage, rather than only after a dispute has arisen.

Japan’s accession to the SCM adds another dimension to this developing dispute-resolution relationship. Japan deposited its instrument of accession to the SCM on 1 October 2023, becoming the Convention’s twelfth State Party. In accordance with Article 14(2) of the Convention, it entered into force for Japan on 1 April 2024.³¹Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, ‘Conclusion of the “Singapore Convention on Mediation” by Japan’ (2 October 2023) https://www.mofa.go.jp/press/release/press6e_000501.html (last accessed 1 September 2026); Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, ‘Entry into Force of the “Singapore Convention on Mediation” for Japan’ (1 April 2024) https://www.mofa.go.jp/press/release/pressite_000001_00258.html (last accessed 1 September 2026). Japan also enacted domestic implementing legislation establishing a system through which a court may issue an enforcement approval order in respect of an international settlement agreement resulting from mediation and falling within the SCM.³²Ministry of Justice of Japan, ‘Regarding the Act Partially Amending the Arbitration Act and the Act for Implementation of the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation’ https://www.moj.go.jp/EN/MINJI/m_minji07_00006.html (last accessed 1 September 2026). The development therefore places Japan and Singapore within a common treaty framework for the recognition and enforcement of mediated settlements, alongside the longstanding framework for arbitral awards provided by the New York Convention.

Japan’s participation, however, comes with an important qualification. When acceding to the SCM, Japan made the reservation permitted by Article 8(1)(b), declaring that “the Convention shall apply only to the extent that the parties to the settlement agreement have agreed to the application of the Convention”.³³United Nations, ‘United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation: Japan: Accession’ Depositary Notification C.N.398.2023.TREATIES-XXII.4 (2 October 2023) https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/CN/2023/CN.398.2023-Eng.pdf (last accessed 1 September 2026); Singapore Convention on Mediation, ‘Japan’ https://www.singaporeconvention.org/jurisdictions/japan (last accessed 1 September 2026). The practical consequence is that parties seeking to rely upon the Convention in Japan should not assume that an otherwise qualifying mediated settlement will automatically receive the benefit of the SCM. Instead, the parties must have expressly agreed to its application. This makes the drafting of the settlement agreement itself particularly important. For businesses and their advisers, expressly providing for the application of the SCM may therefore become part of the checklist when concluding an international mediated settlement that may eventually require enforcement in Japan.

This distinction is especially relevant to Singapore–Japan commercial relationships. Singapore has not made an equivalent Article 8(1)(b) reservation, whereas Japan has adopted an opt-in approach to the SCM.³⁴United Nations Treaty Collection, ‘United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation: Status, Reservations and Declarations’ https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXII-4&chapter=22 (last accessed 1 September 2026). Parties contemplating mediation must therefore pay attention to whether the relevant jurisdictions are parties to the SCM and also to the conditions on which each jurisdiction has accepted its obligations. For Singaporean businesses dealing with Japanese counterparties, and Japanese businesses operating through Singapore, this creates a useful role for lawyers at both the dispute-resolution planning and settlement-drafting stages. Japan’s accession nevertheless represents an important convergence between the two jurisdictions: mediation is increasingly supported not simply as a consensual means of resolving cross-border disputes, but by a legal infrastructure capable of giving the resulting agreements about mediation international effect.

Technology presents a different challenge. Cross-border digital businesses do not operate within neat national boundaries, and legal questions concerning data protection, intellectual property, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence can arise on both sides of a transaction. Personal data provides a straightforward example. Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Act (“PDPA”) imposes requirements on the transfer of personal data outside Singapore, while Japan’s Act on the Protection of Personal Information (“APPI”) establishes a separate framework for the handling of personal information.³⁵Andromachi Psomiadi, ‘Asia-Pacific Privacy Compliance: Key Consent Differences in APPI, PIPA, and PDPA’ Pandectes (17 November 2025) <https://pandectes.io/blog/asia-pacific-privacy-compliance-key-consent-differences-in-appi-pipa-and-pdpa/> (last accessed 31 August 2026). The two jurisdictions therefore require businesses operating across both markets to navigate different regulatory requirements. This is an area in which professional cooperation is already becoming more important: in July 2026, Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Commission (“PDPC”) and Japan’s Personal Information Protection Commission (“PPC”) concluded a Memorandum of Cooperation (“MOC”) providing for cooperation and information sharing in the enforcement of personal-data protection laws.³⁶Personal Data Protection Commission, ‘PDPC Strengthens International Cooperation Through Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) with Japan’s Personal Information Protection Commission’ (20 July 2026) <https://www.pdpc.gov.sg/media-events/pdpc-strengthens-international-cooperation-through-memorandum-of-cooperation-moc-with-japans-personal-information-protection-commission> (last accessed 31 August 2026).

The green transition and energy cooperation will generate another set of increasingly complex legal issues. The Strategic Partnership identifies green transition and energy cooperation as one of its five priority areas, and the two countries have established an Energy, Sustainability and Climate Change Cooperation Framework to support cooperation in this field.³⁷Prime Minister’s Office Singapore, ‘Joint Statement on the Establishment of a Strategic Partnership Between Japan and the Republic of Singapore’ (18 March 2026) <https://www.pmo.gov.sg/newsroom/joint-statement-on-the-establishment-of-a-strategic-partnership-between-japan-and-singapore/> (last accessed 31 August 2026). For lawyers, projects in areas such as energy infrastructure, low-emissions fuels, and other transition technologies may involve a combination of project finance, construction, investment, licensing, environmental regulation, and long-term contractual arrangements. The regulatory dimension is also becoming more explicitly bilateral. In July 2026, Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (“EMA”) and Japan’s Electricity and Gas Market Surveillance Commission (“EGC”) signed an MOC covering information exchange and cooperation on gas and electricity market regulation, including regulatory approaches and system stability.³⁸Energy Market Authority, ‘Singapore and Japan Sign Memorandum of Cooperation to Strengthen Cooperation on Energy Market Regulation’ (13 July 2026) <https://www.ema.gov.sg/news-events/news/media-releases/2026/singapore-japan-sign-moc-to-strengthen-cooperation-on-energy-market-regulation> (last accessed 31 August 2026). As cooperation moves from broad policy commitments towards specific projects and regulatory coordination, practitioners may increasingly need to understand how the two jurisdictions’ legal and regulatory frameworks interact.

These examples point to a broader change in cross-border legal work. Lawyers are increasingly involved at the stage when businesses are deciding how to structure a transaction, enter a market, or manage regulatory risk. By that point, knowledge of the other jurisdiction and access to trusted professional contacts can be as useful as expertise in one’s own law. The Strategic Partnership is therefore more likely to make existing professional connections more valuable, while creating reasons for new ones to develop. The challenge for legal professionals will be to ensure that their relationships keep pace with the businesses and institutions they advise.

7. Conclusion: A Relationship Renewed

Sixty years of diplomatic relations have transformed Singapore and Japan from development partners into Strategic Partners with increasingly broad and reciprocal interests. The legal relationship has evolved alongside that transformation. What began with exchanges between professional bodies has developed into institutional cooperation, practical referral arrangements, substantive legal discussions, and a growing network of lawyers working across the two jurisdictions.

That development also illustrates an important feature of international legal cooperation: formal agreements alone do not create meaningful bilateral relationships. The value of an MOU or a bilateral framework ultimately depends on whether it leads to lawyers understanding how their counterparts practise, knowing whom to approach and having sufficient confidence and trust to work together. The exchanges described above may appear modest when viewed individually, but their cumulative effect is to create the familiarity and professional connections on which cross-border legal work depends.

The Japan Chapter has a particular role to play in this process. Its recent activities show that the relationship can be developed in different ways, from informal exchanges between young practitioners to discussions of substantive issues and more formal institutional cooperation. Its contribution should therefore not be measured only by the number of events organised or agreements signed, but by whether those activities help create a durable professional network capable of supporting the increasingly complex economic, technological, and regulatory ties between Singapore and Japan.

This may be the most fitting way to view the 60th anniversary. Kanreki marks not simply the completion of a cycle, but the beginning of another. For the two legal professions, the next phase will require relationships that are not only broader, but deeper and more capable of supporting the practical demands of a closer partnership. The foundations have been laid over more than two decades. The challenge is now to build on them.

With valuable contributions from:

Michael Buchanan, Intern, Nishimura & Asahi (Singapore) LLP

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are strictly those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, or views of their respective firms. The contents of this article are intended solely for general informational and educational purposes. They do not constitute, and should not be relied upon as, formal legal advice. Readers should seek independent legal counsel regarding any specific legal inquiries or factual circumstances.