On August 25, 2025, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba met with Singapore's Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, a former prime minister, during which Ishiba presented Lee with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun. The meeting underscored the strengthening of bilateral relations between Japan and Singapore. Lee also praised the successful hosting of the National Day event at the Osaka-Kansai Expo on August 24. On the same day, Ishiba visited former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the House of Representatives office building for a roughly 10-minute meeting. Ishiba expressed gratitude to Kishida for his role as deputy chairperson at the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9). Former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was reportedly absent and did not meet with Ishiba during this period.