Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

‘Most respected Japanese leader’ mourned

Taipei Times

A man writes a message on a wall put up in front of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association’s Taipei office yesterday to commemorate former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated on Friday.
Photo: CNA

The All Japan Taiwanese Union yesterday expressed its condolences to Japan after former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated during an election campaign event in Nara, Japan, on Friday.

Abe won the respect of many international leaders, and Taiwanese regard him as “the most respected and amiable Japanese politician,” the group said in a statement.

Abe killing raises security concerns

Lin Han 林志翰

Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot while delivering a campaign speech in Nara, Japan, on the eve of the Japanese House of Councilors elections. The tragic news shocked the world. Abe, who had always been a strong supporter of Taiwan, gained much respect from Taiwanese, who grieve his passing.

Abe was born to a prominent political family. His maternal grandfather Nobusuke Kishi and his great-uncle Eisaku Sato had served as prime ministers, while his father, Shintaro Abe, was a foreign minister.

Shinzo Abe was himself a legendary figure in Japanese politics. When he first took office in 2006 at the age of 52, he was the first prime minister born after World War II and the youngest in the post-war era.

Shock as former Japan PM assassinated

Taipei Times

A woman yesterday prays at a makeshift memorial set up in Nara, Japan, after former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was shot dead near the site.
Photo: AFP

Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was yesterday assassinated on a street in western Japan by a gunman who opened fire from behind as he delivered a campaign speech.

The 67-year-old Abe, who was Japan’s longest-serving leader when he resigned in 2020, collapsed bleeding and was airlifted to a nearby hospital in Nara, although he was not breathing and his heart had stopped.

NATO creates new space for Taiwan

Joseph Tse-hei Lee 李榭熙

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as tensions in the Taiwan Strait, dominated the agenda of last week’s NATO summit in Madrid. For the first time, NATO leaders complained about the deepening Sino-Russian strategic partnership and the challenge that these adversaries pose to the international order.

As NATO has the Indo-Pacific region in its radar, it is paying closer attention to Taiwan’s security needs. The timing is of great importance because the US has adjusted its Taiwan policy from one of strategic ambiguity to one of strategic clarity.

Yet, in the larger sphere of regional security, Washington has not made a systematic effort to replace the post-World War II system of bilateral alliances with an Indo-Pacific multilateralism.

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