When the Orchid and Sakura Meets

The 66^th Birthday Celebrations of the Japanese Emperor’s Birthday here was also marked by a special poem dedicated by Ambassador Hiroshi Ishikawa with countries’ national flowers reflected in the excellence growth culminating in 60 years of diplomacy for both nations in 2026

Singapore, 13 February 2026 – THE Japanese Embassy in Singapore held a grand reception in celebration of the 66^th Birthday of His Majesty Emperor Naruhito of Japan on 13^th February 2026. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel’s Grand Ballroom was almost filled to capacity with the President of the Island Republic represented by Minister of Transport Tan See Leng who was accompanied by Members of Parliament Mr Darryl David (Ang Mo Kio) and Mr David Hoe (Jurong East – Bukit Batok) as well as members of the island’s diplomatic corps including many leading members of Japanese nationals and friends of Japan in Singapore.

They were welcomed by His Excellency Mr Hiroshi Ishikawa the Ambassador of Japan to Singapore who said this year will also stand out as it also marked the 60^th Year of Diplomatic Relations of the two nations; he also shared the many bilateral milestones that have marked the continuing growth of relations. This included a vibrant growth in people-to-people relations as more than 730,000 Singaporeans visited Japan last year – a new record. He was also pleased to announce many commemorative events are planned to celebrate the 60^th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Singapore in 2026; among them is the visit here of the NHK Symphony Orchestra in April and the Japan Festival in November.

“This year marks a special milestone, the 60th anniversary of different relations between Singapore and Japan, SJ60. Many commemorative events are forthcoming here in Singapore, including the NHK Symphony Orchestra’s SJ60 Celebratory Concert in April and the flagship event, Japan Festival, in November. On the greenery front, more than 10 restaurants are now offering a new take on rohe, the SJ60 in Yusheng, featuring Japanese seafood, including food. From the farms of April, Raffles Hotel served an SJ60 Matcha Café made with Kyoto Uji Matcha.” said Ambassador Hiroshi.

Ambassador Hiroshi also touched on the launch of the book “The Land of The Rising Sun and The Lion City: The Story of Japan and Singapore”, co-edited by him and Singapore’s Ambassador-at-Large Professor Tommy Koh that explored the countries’ deep bilateral ties with essays on history, culture, and cooperation. It won a popular book award and stayed on the Straits Times bestseller list for four consecutive weeks. Ambassador Hiroshi said, “This speaks to the great interest and affection Singaporeans have for Japan for which I am deeply grateful.”

He concluded his speech with a special poem he composed specially for the occasion that described the special relationship between Japan and Singapore with imagery and meanings related to both countries’ national flowers – Singapore’s Orchid and Japan’s Sakura (Cherry blossom).