Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday called for the continued deepening of friendship between the island and Japan during a meeting in Taipei with Akie Abe, the widow of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Tsai expressed the island's appreciation for the late Japanese premier's supportive stance, including his claim that "any emergency surrounding Taiwan would also be an emergency for Japan."
By advocating such a view, the longest-serving Japanese leader "adopted a position that attached further importance to Taiwan," Tsai said.
Abe, who is on a four-day trip to the island through Thursday, said in response that her husband's soul has been present during her visit and that she has felt a profound sense of friendship between Taiwan and Japan.
Earlier in the day, Abe visited a military cemetery in New Taipei to pay homage to former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui (1923-2020), who had an affinity for Japan, fulfilling her husband's wish.
Shinzo Abe was fatally shot on July 8, 2022, while giving an election campaign speech in western Japan.