The Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) co-hosted the 17th Japan-Singapore Symposium (JSS) with the Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) in Tokyo from March 14 to 15, 2024. This year marked a significant change as Mr. Ashok Mirpuri took over as the new co-chair from Singapore, succeeding Amb. Tommy Koh, who had long served as the co-chair of the JSS. Mr. Mirpuri is the Director of International Policy & Governance at Temasek and a former Ambassador of Singapore to the United States.

During the closed-door roundtable on March 14, active discussions were held on three main topics: (1) Political and Security Development in the Indo-Pacific and the World, (2) New Era of ASEAN-Japan Relation, and (3) Japan-Singapore Cooperation in Trade, Digital and Economic Resilience.

The public forum on March 15, titled " Japan-Singapore Partnership in Regional Architecture," began with opening remarks by the JSS co-chairmen, Amb. Kenichiro Sasae and Mr. Ashok Mirpuri. Keynote speeches were delivered by Japanese State Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoshifumi Tsuge, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sim Ann, and Taku Otsuka, Member of the House of Representatives and Secretary-General of the Japan-Singapore Parliamentary Friendship League. The panel discussion, moderated by Amb. Sasae, featured presentations by Amb. Masafumi Ishii, Adjuct Fellow at JIIA and former Ambassador of Japan to Indonesia and Special Guest Professor at Gakushuin University Law Faculty; Prof. Simon Tay, Chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs; Dr. Tomoo Kikuchi, Professor at the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, Waseda University; and Mr. Manu Bhaskaran, Founding CEO of Centennial Asia Advisors. This was followed by a vibrant discussion on the impact of international affairs on regional security, cooperation between Japan and ASEAN in security and economy, the role of the United States in the region, and the promotion of roles and cooperation between Japan and Singapore.