By Wong Kwok Pun

Vice-President,

Japanese Cultural Society, Singapore

August 2024 marks the 60th Anniversary of the Japanese Cultural Society of Singapore (JCS). It was registered on 26 August 1964 as a non-profit organization. In its 60 years of existence, JCS has helped to promote the appreciation of Japanese arts and culture and spread the learning of the Japanese language. JCS founders envisioned the learning of language as the path to deepen understanding of the Japanese culture and people.

JCS was founded under difficult circumstances and its future was never assured. The socio-economic conditions in Singapore in the early 60s were not fertile for growing interest in Japanese culture. The wartime wounds had yet to heal. Furthermore, Singapore’s economic structure did not fit nicely into Japan’s growth agenda. Singapore was primarily a trading post with labour-intensive industries. It was still struggling to find a proven economic growth formula. It was then a part of the Federation of Malaysia with a population of no more than 2 million people.  Its import substitution economic policy was unable to create jobs fast enough to solve the growing unemployment problem.

Japan, on the other hand, had rebuilt its industries to become a rising global economic power. It successfully hosted the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and introduced the world’s first high-speed train - the Shinkansen. With a population nearing 100 million, what Japan needed were access to export markets and a reliable supply of energy and raw materials like rubber, tin, copper, nickel and bauxite; all of which Singapore had a limited supply to offer. There were no obvious comparative trade advantages to drive bilateral trade and investments.  Indeed, Singapore and Japan were in two different worlds moving at two different speeds.

In spite of the asymmetry, both sides did find some reasons to work with each other. Prior to Singapore’s unexpected independence in 1965, Japanese companies invested in Singapore in anticipation of a larger Malaysian common market. The Japanese companies present were involved in a wide range of business, from manufacturing to commodity trading, shipbuilding, banking, construction and transport. Notable companies included Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries, Bridgestone Tire, Maruzen Sekiyu, Kawasaki Seitetsu, Bank of Tokyo and the major trading houses.  A few left after Singapore’s loss of access to the common market; but many stayed on and continued to use Singapore as a base to manage or expand their business in Southeast Asia and beyond.

Separation from Malaysia left Singapore in a weak position, politically and economically. Many foreign observers predicted that Singapore would not remain a sovereign independent country for long. Indonesia’s policy of “konfrontasi” and trade boycott were still in place. The Vietnam War was raging. Company headquarters in Japan must have deliberated again and again over whether to stay or leave after 1965. One wonders why there was no mass exodus from Singapore. In fact, Singapore-Japan economic ties grew from strength to strength. H.E. Ambassador of Japan Ishikawa Hiroshi highlighted in his 2024 “Japan Emperor’s Birthday” reception speech that Japanese CEOs regarded Singapore as the regional hub and that Japan was the largest Asian investor in Singapore, with S$155 million worth of cumulative investments. Perhaps the largest joint-venture ever undertaken was the Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore, led by Sumitomo Chemical Corporation, at a cost of more than US$1 billion in 1984. It must have been a leap of faith as Singapore had neither the technical expertise nor the capital to compete in this industry.

There were certainly some shared political and economic interests to drive the desire to work together, like a shared concern over the safety and freedom of navigation through the Straits of Malacca.  But would it have flourished without intercultural understanding? Then Prime Minister Nakasone Yasuhiro stated in a TIME Magazine interview in 1983 that “Japan may be a bit like sugar or salt; unless one tries to taste it, one may never be able to understand Japan.”. It is my impression from his memoirs that Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew had tasted both, as well as “nigauri” or “goya”.  He was no stranger to the Japanese culture.  As he got to know more post-war leaders in Japan, this bitterness soon turned into respect and admiration for Japan’s leaders for having “stoically and methodically” rebuilt the country while preserving “the key attributes that made old Japan strong”. Lee Kuan Yew’s unwavering push for national self-reliance and skill training earned much respect and trust from Japanese leaders. Burying the ghost of the past made way for young Singaporeans to learn and work in Japan and vice versa. In 1966, the Japanese Cultural Society (JCS) opened its first Japanese language class to cater for the growing Singaporean interest in Japan. Bridges of friendship were thus erected.  The path to Singapore-Japan reconciliation and cooperation was laid.

Post-war Japan has done well to win friends and market share in Southeast Asia, without losing traditional Japanese values. In fact, it is traditional Japan that made it so attractive to foreign tourists and shoppers even today. Ambassador Ishikawa also highlighted in his speech that Japan received 600,000 visitors from Singapore last year. As a repeat visitor myself, I have always enjoyed the warm hospitality, the walk along the “shotengai”, the relaxing “onsen”, the delicious “washoku” and Japan’s pristine environment. The made-in-Japan label remains synonymous with high quality and reliability. Japanese cars remain a common sight on Singapore roads. Japanese cameras are still favoured by photojournalists, professionals and enthusiasts. New cultural icons are winning many fans among Millennials; for example, Pokemon, anime, manga and video games like “The Final Fantasy” and “The Ghost of Tsushima”.

The power of intercultural understanding is often undervalued. The lack of such understanding inhibits international cooperation. A nationalist desire to look to selective past glories only raises barriers to global consensus and action on urgent issues like climate change. I am thankful that Singapore and Japanese leaders had the foresight and courage to look beyond the past and focus on building a better future.

Over the six decades of existence, JCS activities have expanded from operating a Japanese language school to conducting Japanese language proficiency tests and organising cultural activities as well as exchange programmes for young Singaporeans. To date, a record of more than 40,000 students have graduated from the various courses run by JCS.

I wish JCS many more years of active promotion of such cultural exchanges for the benefit of peace and prosperity throughout the region.