Japan to confer prestigious honour on SM Lee Hsien Loong for bilateral contributions
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Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong was honoured for having made “significant contributions to strengthening relations and promoting friendship between Japan and Singapore”.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
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SINGAPORE – Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong will be conferred the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun by the Japanese government in recognition of his significant contributions to strengthening ties between Singapore and Japan.
The Embassy of Japan in Singapore posted the announcement on its social media on April 29, saying that Mr Lee, Singapore’s prime minister from 2004 to 2024, had made “significant contributions to strengthening relations and promoting friendship between Japan and Singapore”.
A Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said in a media statement on April 29 that Singapore “deeply appreciates” the Japanese government’s decision to honour SM Lee.
“Singapore and Japan enjoy a close and longstanding relationship, marked by strong political and economic ties, and multifaceted cooperation,” the spokesperson said. The two countries will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2026, the spokesperson added.
The Order of the Rising Sun was established in 1875 to recognise individuals who have made distinguished contributions to Japan and its people. The Grand Cordon is the highest rank of the award.
Previous Singaporean recipients of the honour include then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1967, former ambassador to Japan Lim Chin Beng in 2004, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong in 2011, and former deputy prime minister S. Jayakumar in 2012.
