S Jaishankar Meets Late Shinzo Abe’s Wife In Tokyo: ‘Recalled His Contribution…’

External affairs minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Thursday met late former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s wife Akie in Tokyo, nearly two years after his demise.

He also handed a personal letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Akie Abe in which the latter conveyed his condolences for the death of Abe’s mother.

Sharing pictures with Abe’s wife on X, S Jaishankar said, “Being my first visit to Tokyo after the demise of PM Shinzo Abe, met with his wife, Mrs Akie Abe. Recalled PM Shinzo Abe’s invaluable contribution to the advancement of India-Japan relations.”

Shinzo Abe was assassinated on July 8, 2022, during an election campaign speech. The accused who shot Abe, identified as Tetsuya Yamagami, was arrested at the scene and was charged with murder and several other crimes, including violating the gun control law. According to Yamagami, he killed Abe because of the former prime minister’s alleged links to a religious group that he hated.

S Jaishankar’s visit to Japan

S Jaishankar, who is on a three-day visit to Japan from March 6 to 8, co-chaired the 16th India-Japan Foreign Ministers Strategic Dialogue in Tokyo with his Japanese counterpart Yoko Kamikawa. During the meeting, the two leaders agreed on the need for new steps to prepare a bilateral relationship to respond to emerging geopolitical and geo-economic trends. Jaishankar and Kamikawa also discussed several ambitious areas of expansion, including emerging technologies.

“A great meeting with Japanese FM @Kamikawa_Yoko, as we co-chaired the 16th India-Japan FMs Strategic Dialogue in Tokyo today. Pleased to note the steady progress of our bilateral partnership in different domains. Discussed new and ambitious areas of expansion, including emerging technologies,” Jaishankar wrote on X.

He added, “Also appreciated the stabilizing role that our ties can play in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. Our exchange of views on the international situation was very useful. India and Japan will be steadfast partners as we move towards a multipolar world.”