Singapore Prime Minister on leave from 15-31 December

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will be on leave from 15 to 31 December.

As per the notice published on Thursday (14 Dec) on the official Singapore Government Electronic Gazette website, the President has granted PM Lee a leave of absence from his official duties.



During PM Lee's absence, Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean will serve as Acting Prime Minister from 15 to 26 December.



Separately, Mr Lawrence Wong, Deputy PM and Minister for Finance will exercise the functions as acting PM from 27 to 31 December.



According to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), PM Lee is currently in Tokyo, Japan, from Friday to 18 December to attend the Commemorative Summit for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation.

Accompanying PM Lee are his wife, Mdm Ho Ching, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, along with officials from the PMO and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Commemorative Summit aims to foster discussions between ASEAN and Japan on strengthening the ASEAN-Japan Dialogue Partnership.

Key focus areas include expanding cooperation in emerging sectors like digital and green economies. The summit will also address various regional and global concerns of mutual interest.

During his stay, PM Lee is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and other eminent figures from Japan.