Edmund Chen, 65, granted permission by court to attend son's wedding in Japan while on bail

Former actor Edmund Chen, who is still awaiting the hearing of his appeal against his five-day jail term for careless driving, was granted permission to travel overseas during his bail period.

According to Lianhe Zaobao, Chen had sought approval to travel abroad, reportedly to attend his son's wedding in Japan.

On Jan. 29, Chen had pleaded guilty in court to one charge of driving without reasonable consideration for other road users, resulting in an accident.

He was sentenced to five days' imprisonment and was disqualified from driving for five years.

The court granted him a stay of execution on the jail term and disqualification, and bail was set at S$15,000.

Allegedly seeking permission to travel

A check on Singapore's Integrated Case Management System (ICMS) showed that Chen's case was heard on Wednesday morning.

According to CNA, while the prosecution did not object to Chen’s application to travel, they emphasised that his flight risk, while low, was "not zero".

Chen is set to travel to China from Mar. 17 to Mar. 26 for a business trip, and to Japan from Apr. 15 to May 3 for a personal trip.

Though permission was granted, the trips were subject to several conditions.

Chen must pay an additional bail sum of S$10,000, on top of the existing S$15,000 bail, which is currently paid for by an elderly woman who was present in court with him.

Before departing, Chen must also provide his complete travel itinerary to the investigating officer. This includes full details of his accommodation and contact numbers.

He must also remain contactable by the investigating officer at all times.

His bailor is not allowed to travel with him, and upon his return, Chen must immediately inform the investigating officer and surrender his passport.

Chen's son, Chen Xi, previously announced on Instagram on Jul. 14, 2025, that he tied the knot with his girlfriend, Mami.

According to Zaobao, Chen Xi had earlier said in a media interview that the couple plans to hold their wedding in Japan this year.

Chen's case

The court heard that on the afternoon of Mar. 4, 2025, Chen was driving along the leftmost lane of the four-lane Ayer Rajah Expressway towards the Central Expressway (CTE).

The third and fourth lanes led to Keppel Road, while the first and second lanes led to the CTE.

Chen intended to go to CTE but failed to form up in time. He tried to move into the second lane by braking abruptly and attempting to cross the chevron markings in between.

Among other things, he allowed a car to pass him in the third lane before filtering sharply across that lane.

In doing so, he collided with a motorcycle that was overtaking his car, causing grievous hurt to the rider.

Chen stopped his vehicle and rendered assistance to the motorcyclist, who was taken to hospital.

The victim underwent surgery and was found to have sustained multiple right-hand wrist fractures.

He was given 99 days of hospitalisation leave but did not suffer any permanent disability.

Top photos from Mothership and @chxnxi/Instagram