MOFA welcomes Akie Abe visit

2023/07/19

MOFA announced its warm welcome of Akie Abe, widow of Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on her July 17 arrival to Taipei City.

According to the MOFA, Abe is visiting at the invitation of the Friends of Abe Shinzo Association in Taiwan and is accompanied by Eriko Yamatani and Tsuneo Kitamura of Japan's House of Councillors. Abe will meet with President Tsai Ing-wen and Vice President Lai Ching-te, and will also greet students who have benefited from scholarships established in her late husband’s name.

During her visit, Abe will pay her respects to former President Lee Teng-hui at New Taipei's Wuzhi Mountain Military Cemetery, MOFA said. She will also head south to see a bronze statue of her late husband erected in Kaohsiung City’s Fengshan District and attend a memorial photo exhibition at an art gallery in Tainan City.

Shinzo Abe was an internationally respected political leader who safeguarded freedom and democracy in his role as Japan’s prime minster, MOFA said, adding that he consistently displayed firm support for Taiwan and called on the international community to maintain cross-strait peace and stability. The ministry sees his wife Akie’s four-day visit to Taiwan as a powerful manifestation of the long-standing bond of friendship between Taiwan and Japan.


Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)