July 19, 2022 Results of Visits to the Republic of Singapore and the Commonwealth of Australia by Mr. KANEKO, Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications

From Tuesday, July 12, through Sunday, July 17, 2022, Mr. KANEKO Yasushi, Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, visited the Republic of Singapore and the Commonwealth of Australia. He had talks with the relevant ministers of the respective countries and agreed upon deepening bilateral cooperative relationships and coordination in the information and communications field.

An outline of the results of his visit to each country is as follows.

1. Republic of Singapore

Mr. Kaneko had a talk with H.E. Ms. Josephine TEO , Minister for Communications and Information of Singapore. They exchanged opinions and issued a joint statement concerning bilateral cooperation in line with the provisions of the Memorandum of Cooperation in the Field of Information and Communications Technology signed on July 2, 2021 (hereinafter referred to as the "Memorandum").
At the talk, the ministers engaged in discussion concerning the coordination through a multinational framework, in addition to the digital economy, AI and cyber security, which are major areas for cooperation under the Memorandum. They reaffirmed to continue initiatives for the development of open and secure 5G networks and to promote coordination through multilateral frameworks.

2. Commonwealth of Australia

Mr. Kaneko had talks with Hon Ms. Clare O'Neil , Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Cyber Security, Department of Home Affairs, in Melbourne, and with Hon Ms. Michelle Rowland , Minister for Communications, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, in Sydney. The three ministers signed a Joint Statement that includes the launch of a meeting of high-level officials of the two countries, the “Australia-Japan Policy Dialogue for Telecommunications Resilience.”
At the talks, the ministers exchanged opinions on 5G and telecommunications submarine cables, and confirmed that they would strengthen the partnership between Japan and Australia in the information and communications field towards realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific, while also utilizing multinational frameworks, including the Japan-Australia-India-U.S. (Quad) framework.

In addition, in both Singapore and Australia, Mr. Kaneko visited sites to see advanced digital initiatives and had meetings with Japanese companies doing business there.