top of page

About Us

About Us

What is SSAJ?

The Singapore Students' Association (Japan), or 在日シンガポール留学生協会 in Japanese, looks after the welfare of Singaporeans who are pursuing their studies in Japan. A majority of our members are students who pursue their undergraduate studies, graduate studies, doctoral studies, as well as exchange programmes. We are based in Tokyo, and aim to look after the welfare of Singapore students across Japan. We are supported by the Embassy of the Republic of Singapore in Tokyo, the Japanese University Graduate Association of Singapore, and the Singapore Global Network. We have been active since 2008.

Our Exco

The SSAJ Executive Committee, or Exco, consists of SSAJ members who serve one year terms in a variety of roles. The Exco currently consists of the roles of the President, Internal Vice-President, External Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary. All of these roles are put up for election during the SSAJ Annual General Meeting held each year, and are open to all members. 

The tl;dr of each role:

President: Oversees the vision, direction, and operations of the Exco

Internal Vice-President: Leads the organisation of SSAJ activities and co-manages its social media platforms

External Vice-President: Liaises with external partners for sponsorships or career-related opportunities

Treasurer: Manages the budget of the Exco, handles funding requests, and holds onto the reserves

Secretary: Handles administrative matters of the Exco including minute-taking, maintaining the website, and co-manages its social media platforms.

Our Members

Any Singapore citizen or permanent resident enrolled in an officially recognised educational institution in Japan, including but not limited to Universities, Junior Colleges, Professional Training Institutes, and Language Schools, are eligible to be members of SSAJ.

Students enrolled in officially recognised educational institutions in Singapore and who are residing in Japan with a visa allowing a stay of more than ninety (90) days, are also eligible to be members of SSAJ. (The translation: students on long-term exchange programmes in Japan can join us!)

Constitution

We abide by the Constitution of Singapore Students’ Association (Japan), which you can find in the link below. Any amendments to the constitution must be passed by a simple majority at the Annual General Meeting.

Our Constitution
Goals for the 2020-22
Executive Committee

Empowerment

We want to empower you with the resources to run their own events and initiatives:

Be it funding, skills, or publicity, we want to be there for you, so that you can make your ideas come true. These could be as simple as a board games night and as complicated as a Pokemon cosplay marathon; you’ll never know your limits until you share your ideas!

Regionality

Going beyond Tokyo:

While most of the Singaporeans studying in Japan are Tokyo-based, we are hoping to better engage people living outside the capital. If you’re living outside of Tokyo, we've launched regional chats to better build the SSAJ community.

*If you are already an SSAJ member - the sign-up link for our new chats can be found on our communication channels! 

Orientation

Welcome to Japan:

We've launched the 4th edition of the "Student's Guide to Life in Japan", i.e. your beginner's handbook to navigating the web of paperwork, getting a phone number, registering for your My Number card... There may be a fair bit of things to do when you first move in, but we've got you covered! Anything you need to know about living in Japan is in there!

 

 

We're also reviving the SSAJ Family Programme (that’s right, kazoku 家族) to give new students a familiar touchpoint especially when they first arrive in Japan.

Informality

Interact with your fellow Singaporean students:

We’re not saying you shouldn’t have a diverse group of friends, but sometimes you just want to find someone else in the country who has shared your 2-week-long 1am cravings for kaya toast. 

We hope to create a network of informal chat groups for all sorts of purposes - think casual anime chats, gaming chats, batch chats (e.g. batch of autumn 20/21), and regional groups. 

Awareness

Dispelling myths about studying in Japan: 
We are working on a Study in Japan portal for Singapore-based students.
On the portal, we will consolidate information about English and Japanese courses, as well as scholarship options for studying in Japan. In the future, we also hope to set up booths and share our experiences at Higher Education Fairs in various schools in Singapore. If you have information that you would like to contribute or recommend, please contact us!

Meet the 2022-23
Executive Committee

Jeremy.png

Wu Shao Chi

President

Shao Chi is currently a first-year student studying global political economics at Waseda University. As someone who enjoys politics, he likes to discuss political issues and ideas with people around him. Some hobbies of his include basketball and photography. Despite currently not owning a pet dog, he is a huge dog lover and would love to have a fluffy pet dog in the future.

Jeremy.png

Samuel Eng

Treasurer

Samuel is a third year undergraduate student at Waseda University. He is an aspiring fashionista that regularly visits shopping streets in Japan and occasionally bakes sweets when has the time. He enjoys interacting with people both in English and in Japanese, and has made it his goal to serve as a bridge between the Singaporean and Japanese communities. From time to time a casual chu-hi or lemon sour is just the pick-up he needs.

Jeremy.png

Keziah Lam

Internal Vice-President

Keziah is a first year student at Waseda’s School of International Liberal Studies who spends too much time and money on gacha and Rilakkuma goods. Please let her know if you are successful at recreating yuan yang peng with Japanese supermarket ingredients or if you have any ideas for future initiatives or events!

Jeremy.png

Yasha Lai

Secretary

Yasha is a second year Master’s student studying in the University of Tokyo’s Information, Technology, and Society in Asia (ITASIA) Programme. She can often be found searching for good bread and coffee, making a mess in a pottery studio, or unceremoniously falling down from bouldering walls. In her term, she hopes to introduce as many people as possible to her favourite bakery in Tokyo, and (more importantly) support the SSAJ community behind the scenes!

Jeremy.png

Bryan Lim

External Vice-President

Bryan is currently studying Economics at Waseda University's School of Political Science and Economics. In his free time, he likes listening (and sometimes singing) mandopop music and watching J-Dramas. It is also not uncommon to find him cuddling cute and fluffy soft toys. He hopes to create a warm and supportive SSAJ community for students looking to pursue their education in Japan!

Our Exco
Past Executive Committee Members
Exco Term
Position
Name
2008-2010
President
Ms XU Yinghui
2008-2010
Vice-President
Mr Gerald CHOO Chong Yu
2008-2010
Treasurer
Mr POH Shin
2010-2011
President
Mr NG Ying Jian
2010-2011
Vice-President
Mr KU Ka Tsai
2010-2011
Public Relations Officer
Ms Rebecca LEE
2010-2011
Treasurer
Mr Jonathan QUEK
2010-2011
Executive Secretary
Ms Christal HAN
2011-2012
President
Mr NG Ying Jian
2011-2012
1st Vice-President
Mr POH Shin
2011-2012
2nd Vice-President
Ms Michelle HO
2011-2012
Public Relations Officer
Mr LEE Chee How
2011-2012
Treasurer
Mr Jonathan QUEK
2011-2012
Executive Secretary
Ms OH Xuemin
2012-2013
President
Mr LEE Chee How
2012-2013
1st Vice-President
Mr Kevin KOH
2012-2013
2nd Vice-President
Ms TAN Heng Jie
2012-2013
Public Relations Officer
Ms Emily LEK
2012-2013
Treasurer
Mr YEO Kee Sheng
2012-2013
Executive Secretary
Mr Glen WIRAWAN PODIONO
2013-2014
President
Mr Matthew GE
2013-2014
Vice-President
Mr Nicholas WONG
2013-2014
Vice-President
Ms CAO Lei
2013-2014
Public Relations Department
Ms LEE Shu Shien
2013-2014
Treasurer
Mr NAM Liang Cheng
2013-2014
Executive Secretary
Ms Jasmine KWEK
2014-2015
President
Mr Royce LEE
2014-2015
1st Vice-President
Mr Austin ZENG
2014-2015
2nd Vice-President
Mr Bryan KUEK
2014-2015
Public Relations Officer
Ms THAM Wan Xin
2014-2015
Treasurer
Ms Stephanie SIM
2014-2015
Executive Secretary
Ms Chermaine LEONG
2015-2016
President
Ms Avena TAN
2015-2016
Vice-President
Ms NIU Yihao
2015-2016
Treasurer
Mr Charles Nicholas LIM
2015-2016
Secretary
Ms Leanne YAP
2015-2016
Public Relations Officer
Mr LAN Yingjie
2015-2016
2nd Vice-President (Former)
Ms Rachel QUAH
2016-2017
President
Ms Dionne NG
2016-2017
1st Vice-President
Ms TENG Siao Shuen
2016-2017
2nd Vice-President
Mr YEO Quan Yi
2016-2017
Public Relations Officer
Mr KOH You Liang
2016-2017
Treasurer
Ms Rachel TAN
2016-2017
Secretary
Ms NG Cheryl
2017-2018
President
Ms Sarah GOH
2017-2018
1st Vice-President
Ms Vanessa HOW
2017-2018
2nd Vice-President
Mr TEO Shu De
2017-2018
Public Relations Officer
Ms Natalie LIM
2017-2018
Treasurer
Ms SEO Kai Hsin
2017-2018
Secretary
Ms OH Yong Ting
2018-2019
President
Ms Sarah LIM
2018-2019
Executive Vice-President
Ms Bernice PUA
2018-2019
Internal Vice-President
Ms CHEONG Zhi Yin
2018-2019
Public Relations Officer
Mr Jorel CHAN
2018-2019
Treasurer
Ms Germaine LAU
2018-2019
Secretary
Ms Anthea WANG
2018-2019
1st Vice-President (Former)
Mr HO Yao Nian
2019-2020
President
Mr TAN Aik Hui
2019-2020
Executive Vice President
Ms ZHU Xiuhua
2019-2020
Internal Vice President
Mr Ryan WONG Tian Hong
2019-2020
Public Relations Officer
Ms PNG Jacqueline
2019-2020
Treasurer
Ms Zealyn HENG Shi Lin
2019-2020
Secretary
Ms Kaoru YAP
2020-2022
President
Mr Jeremy JEE De Sheng
2020-2022
Internal Vice-President
Ms CHAN Qiu Qing
2020-2022
External Vice-President
Mr Norman TAN
2020-2022
Treasurer
Ms TAN Yi Ning
2020-2022
Secretary
Ms TEOH Xin Yi
2021-2022
Internal Vice-President
Mr TSENG Kuo Chuan
2021-2022
External Vice-President
Ms Charisia ONG
2021-2022
External Vice-President
Mr WONG Wei Jun
2021-2022
Treasurer
Ms TENG Shi Ru
2021-2022
Secretary
Mr Bryan LIM Wei Leong
2022-2023
President
Mr WU Shao Chi
2022-2023
Internal Vice-President
Ms Keziah LAM
2022-2023
External Vice-President
Mr Bryan LIM Wei Leong
2022-2023
Treasurer
Mr Samuel ENG
2022-2023
Secretary
Ms Yasha LAI
Contact Us

Email

You can reach us at general.ssaj@ssaj.net. We will strive to get back to you in 3 to 5 working days.

Social Media

You can reach us through a variety of different social media platforms. We have both external-facing and internal-facing platforms.

 

To get access to the internal-facing platforms, please do sign up with us! Note that only SSAJ members can get access to the internal-facing platforms.

 

You can follow our external-facing platforms below:

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
Contact Us
bottom of page