Monday, June 23, 2025
In a significant move to further enhance business ties and propel the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions (MICE) sector, the Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau (SECB) and the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) Singapore have formalized a three-year Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC). Inked on 20 June 2025 at ‘The Dream Sphere’—Singapore’s pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai—this agreement marks a watershed in regional collaboration, underlining Singapore’s status as the world’s premier MICE destination while reinforcing bilateral trade relations between Singapore and Japan.
The global MICE sector is projected to expand at a healthy compound annual growth rate of 7.2% through 2032, with the Asia-Pacific region leading this resurgence. This growth is anchored by robust regional economies, the reinstatement of business travel, and enhanced MICE infrastructure. Singapore’s MICE strategy aligns seamlessly with this rise: the country is actively driving a pipeline of high-impact events spanning advanced manufacturing, financial services, the green economy, life sciences, and technology.
Singapore’s established strengths—in innovation, trust, safety, and regulatory efficiency—combine effectively with JETRO’s deep links to Japanese industry leaders. This synergy is expected to spark new business growth across Asia-Pacific, bringing together top-tier Japanese delegations and cutting-edge event platforms that Singapore offers.
The MoC was signed amid Singapore’s immersive exhibition at Expo 2025 Osaka, themed ‘The Dream Sphere.’ The pavilion offers a rich, sensory narrative showing how Singapore has transformed vision into reality—through immersive storytelling that celebrates its culture, cuisine, creativity, and people.
This thoughtfully designed backdrop not only showcased Singapore’s transformation journey but also provided an ideally evocative environment to emphasize the MoC’s goals—cementing ties between the two nations and laying the groundwork for future MICE cooperation.
Under the new agreement, SECB and JETRO Singapore will:
These measures will be implemented over the MoC’s three-year term, involving a multi-layered coordination across MICE stakeholders in both Singapore and Japan—private sector, government, and industry bodies.
Poh Chi Chuan, Executive Director of SECB, emphasized Singapore’s vital role as a Global-Asia business node: “Home to a vibrant business community and a gateway to Asia Pacific… this first-of-its-kind collaboration with JETRO marks a major milestone in leveraging partnerships to accelerate MICE growth.” He underscored that this MoC would fortify both ecosystems and generate economic opportunities across both nations.
Junji Kurokawa, Managing Director of JETRO Singapore, pointed out the historical resonance of the timing: 2026 will mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Singapore, while 2026 also heralds JETRO Singapore’s 70th anniversary. He highlighted that the MoC would encourage Japanese companies to explore new markets via Singapore’s global platforms—particularly through major events like SWITCH in October.
Japan and Singapore have maintained close economic and diplomatic ties since the establishment of official relations over six decades ago. Their collaboration on MICE now expands on this foundation, aiming to tap into fast-evolving global trends. Driven by increasing environmental awareness, digital transformation, and pressing sustainability goals, the MICE industry is undergoing rapid change. The joint commitment to sustainability and innovation signals an early adaptation to these imperatives—positioning both nations to lead MICE standards globally.
Japan has also recently engaged in similar MoCs to deepen regional cooperation, such as in energy and startup ecosystems. These include partnerships like the ASEAN-Japan Co-Creation Fast Track Initiatives, which fostered open innovation between Japanese and Singapore-based organizations in 2024. This new MoC marks a parallel expansion specifically tailored to the MICE domain.
For event organizers, conference centers, venues, and service providers in both countries, this collaboration translates into
Moreover, Singapore stands to attract a stronger flow of Japanese-led MICE delegations—positioning it as the default hub for Asia-Pacific business travel into the foreseeable future.
As noted by Mr. Kurokawa, the next phase includes intensified Japanese engagement at the Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH) in October. Traditionally one of Asia’s largest innovation showcases, SWITCH will act as a crucial platform for JETRO-supported Japanese firms to expand ties with local stakeholders—further enhancing the MoC’s reach through high-impact events.
Moreover, the MoC is expected to incubate new joint initiatives beyond SWITCH—such as bespoke business matching missions, startup immersions, and sector-specific fairs across finance, medtech, cleantech, and advanced manufacturing.
Historically, Japan and Singapore have co-invested in protocols, standards, and capacity-building across multiple sectors. Over recent years, JETRO has worked with Singaporean MITI, Enterprise Singapore, and EDB—launching initiatives like the Fast Track Pitch and various open innovation platforms. The new MoC adds a dedicated MICE dimension—formalizing event-centric collaboration, ensuring sustained cross-fertilization of ideas, standards, and best practices.
The SECB-JETRO MoC represents a strategic leap for MICE expansion across Japan and Singapore. In an Asia-Pacific market that’s growing steadily, this agreement establishes critical connectivity—uniting economies, industries, and standards. It promises to elevate MICE events through shared innovation, delegate outreach, and expertise transfer, benefiting every stakeholder from event organizers to governmental bodies.
For Singapore, the pact secures its leadership as a global MICE nexus; for Japan, it opens up a premium gateway to broader Asia-Pacific engagement. As global economies navigate uncertainty and rapid transformation, this co-created framework ensures both resilience and growth across MICE value chains.
References: Singapore Tourism Board, JETRO Official website
Image Credit: Singapore Tourism Board Official Website
Comments: