A free and open Indo-Pacific region as advocated by former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe has become a shared strategic goal of the world’s democratic camp, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said at the opening ceremony of a commemorative photography exhibition yesterday.
“Unyielding Politician: Shinzo Abe Commemorative Photo Exhibition,” organized by the Institute for National Policy Research, is scheduled to run until April 10 at the Chang Yung-fa Foundation’s International Convention Center in Taipei.
Featuring nearly 200 photos of Abe at work and in private, the exhibition “shows people Abe’s confidence and his firm demeanor, which is dearly missed,” Tsai said.
Photo: CNA
She thanked Abe for taking concrete actions to support Taiwan both as prime minister and after he left office, such as helping promote the sale of Taiwanese pineapples and calling on the world to value the stability across the Taiwan Strait.
“Don’t let the Taiwanese people feel lonely,” Tsai quoted Abe as once saying, adding that his contribution laid a solid foundation for Taiwan-Japan relations.
Many photos on display were taken when Abe participated in important international conferences, showing a figure who adhered to his ideas and did his best to safeguard democratic freedoms and human rights, she said.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
Abe was not only an outstanding politician who cared about Taiwan, but also the world leader who Taiwanese are most familiar with and most fond of, Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) said.
Abe went out of his way to push his country’s support for Taiwan to unprecedented levels, despite the challenges faced by Japanese leaders to assist Taiwan in the absence of a formal diplomatic relationship, Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said.
It is “unprecedented” to hold such a grand commemorative exhibition outside Japan, and it is hoped that the event strengthens Japan’s determination to maintain a friendly relationship with Taiwan over the next century, Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Representative Hiroyasu Izumi said.
He expressed gratitude to Taiwan for its friendship with Japan, and thanked the 15,000 Taiwanese who paid tribute to Abe at a memorial site created by the association after Abe was fatally shot in July last year.
The exhibition is of great significance, showing that Abe applied his influence and stood firmly with Taiwan when it was facing security challenges, institute chairman and president Tien Hung-mao (田弘茂) said.
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