President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday lauded the establishment of a research center in Taipei named after late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe as an important platform for developing Taiwan-Japan cooperation.

Speaking during the opening ceremony of the research center at National Chengchi University’s (NCCU) College of International Affairs in Taipei, Lai said Abe, the longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history, was not only a great politician, but also a close friend of Taiwan.

Following the Tainan and Hualien earthquakes in 2017 and 2018 respectively, Abe not only expressed condolences to Taiwanese, but also offered help in post-disaster relief and rebuilding, Lai said.