What's Anh's heart? Abe Akira is currently visiting Taiwan as Prime Minister | Taiwan | Abe Akira

This article is reprinted from Global Figures

Akie Abe, the widow of the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, recently visited Taiwan, China. According to reports, Japanese Senator Hariko Yamatani and others also visited together with Akira Abe.

On July 8, 2022, Abe was attacked and killed while giving a campaign speech on the street. At that time, local media revealed that Abe had originally planned to visit Taiwan in August of that year. But with a few gunshots on the streets of Nara, Abe's provocative move to Taiwan came to nothing. Now that Abe's anniversary has just passed, Akira Abe has put his visit to Taiwan on the agenda. The apparent reason given is to "fulfill his deceased husband's wishes," but in reality, it seems more like a politically charged event.

According to Fujian Strait TV's "Today's Strait" report, on the 17th, Lai Qingde hosted a banquet to entertain Abe Zhaohui and his team. During the banquet, pro Japanese politicians shouted "Taiwan and Japan, come on!".

"In view of the special relationship between the Abe family and the Taiwan region, Akie Abe may become a special presence in the future for the collusion and interaction between Japan and some forces in the Taiwan region." Chen Yang, a visiting researcher at the Center for Japanese Studies at Liaoning University, told the Global People reporter.

·Abe Zhaohui visited Taiwan and greeted the media.

Play the role of a "link"

He is closely connected with Lee Teng hui:

In 1994, Abe fled to Taiwan as a member of the Youth Bureau of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan and met for the first time with Lee Teng-hui, then the leader of the Taiwan region;

after abe was forced to resign as prime minister for the first time for more than a year, his mother, yoko abe, arranged for him to go to taiwan to "learn" politics from lee teng-hui;

In 2015, when Lee Teng hui went to Japan, Abe took the initiative to go to his hotel for talks with him;

After Lee Teng hui passed away from illness in 2020, Shinzo Abe personally wrote a eulogy during the farewell ceremony.

Even after stepping down, Abe remains focused on Taiwan related issues.

·Left: Li Denghui; Right: Shinzo Abe.

In Chen Yang's view, there is a deeper purpose behind Abe's visit, which is to strengthen the connection between Japan and Taiwan.

Since the 1950 s, the Abe family can be said to be an important link between Japan and Taiwan:

Abe's grandfather, Kishi Shinsuke, "visited" Taiwan as Japanese prime minister in 1957, becoming the first post-war Japanese prime minister to "visit" Taiwan;

·Kishi Nobusuke.

Abe's maternal grandfather, Rongzuo Sato, vigorously promoted the "Two Chinas" policy during his tenure as Prime Minister;

·Sato Rongzuo.

Abe and his brother Shinzo Kishi have relatively good personal relations with Lee Teng-hui, Tsai Ing-wen and other "Taiwan independence" elements.

·Kishi Nobuo.

With Abe's death, because Abe has no children, Kishi Xinfu himself is in poor health, and Kishi Xinfu's son Kishi has just entered Japanese politics, it is difficult to shoulder the role of communication with Taiwan.

Chen Yang said.

Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned Japan's similar behavior of fleeing to Taiwan, urging Japan to deeply reflect on history, abide by the principles of the four political documents between China and Japan and the commitments made so far, stop provoking and making trouble on the Taiwan issue, and refrain from wading in the Taiwan Strait. Muddy water, seek personal gain, and don't go further and further down the wrong path.

Supporting newcomers

After Abe's death, Akira Abe appeared relatively infrequently, with the highest profile previously made to support the "Abe heir".

Last October, the Liberal Democratic Party urgently needed to find a successor to participate in the supplementary elections in the four districts of Abe's hometown, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Akira Abe was once seen as a strong candidate. But in the end, Akira Abe did not run and gave the opportunity to his once trusted newcomer, Makoto Yoshida. In the first half of this year's election, in order to increase Yoshida Shinji's popularity, Akira has repeatedly campaigned for him.

On April 23, 2023, at the election ceremony of Shinji Yoshida, Akira Abe stated that her husband Abe had lost his life due to his unfulfilled ambitions. Yoshida has been fighting to eliminate her husband's regret, and "I want to entrust everything about my hometown and Japan to him.". "After my husband passed away, my heart was filled with regret and sadness," said Abe Zhaohui while sobbing. "I think my husband will always guard Yoshida's future.".

·Shinji Yoshida and Akira Abe delivered speeches to supporters, during which Akira Abe shed tears on the scene.

Chen Yang believes that Abe Zhaohui did not choose to enter politics, but instead made every effort to support the candidacy of the new Liberal Democratic Party member, Masahiro Yoshida, and helped him successfully become a member of the House of Representatives. On the surface, it appeared to help the Liberal Democratic Party maintain its seat in the House of Representatives, but in reality, it was to achieve the inheritance of Abe's political power. It is expected that Akira Abe will continue to play the role of a "political mentor" in the future, continuing to support Shinji Yoshida, that is, "riding on the horse and sending off a journey.".

In addition to supporting Abe's "heir" to the throne, Abe Showei recently announced plans to invest 500 million yen to build the "Jin San Memorial Hall".

Regarding this, officials from Yamaguchi Prefecture have confirmed: "Akira told me that the inheritance from Abe is at least 300 million yen. In addition, Abe's political support group has nearly 250 million yen left." It is precisely because of this that Abe Akira came up with the idea of using this 500 million yen to build the "Jin San Memorial Hall.".

However, officials from Yamaguchi Prefecture expressed concerns about the plan to build a memorial hall, stating that "although it can be achieved economically, I am concerned that it will erode Abe's property.".

A potential issue with Abe's plan to build the "Jin San Memorial Hall" is the use of political funds, including public funds, according to a commentary on the website of Nikkei Sports. Among the funds of the "electoral district branch", about 24 million yen is political funding. Japanese political commentator Ichiro Honzawa believes, "Firstly, it is strange that Akira, as an ordinary citizen, can take over as a branch representative of a political party. If she does not intend to enter politics, she should return the inherited political funds to the treasury or donate them to charitable organizations, which would be more practical than building a memorial hall."

On Japanese social media, some netizens criticized that "even if a memorial hall is built, it is expected to close down soon" and "building such a memorial hall may only keep people away and unwilling to visit".

Become a chess piece

Unlike Abe, who has worked hard in the political circle all his life and carried the expectations of his family, Akira Abe has always been considered an "atypical first lady".

Akira Abe, originally named Matsuzaki and from a prominent family background, is the daughter of former president of Morinaga Fruit, a well-known Japanese candy manufacturer. After marrying Abe in 1987, she embarked on a routine path for Japanese women - resigning from her job at the country's largest advertising company and focusing on becoming a wife.

However, in their marriage that lasted for over 30 years, including 9 years as Japan's "First Lady," Akira Abe has already proven that she is not a traditionally silent political wife.

·When Shinzo Abe and Akira Abe were young.

As a wealthy woman from a prestigious family, Akira Abe also served as a powerful support for her husband to seize the position of Prime Minister. However, as Abe entered his second and third terms and became the longest serving Prime Minister in Japanese constitutional history, it seemed that Abe Akihui had grown tired of this routine and refused to stay obediently under her husband's shadow.

She, who loves to express her ideas, has publicly challenged her husband's series of policies, including promoting nuclear power and the Trans Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement. In 2016, she met with protesters in Okinawa who opposed the expansion of the US Marine Corps base, while Abe supported the expansion.

At the same time, some of Abe's outrageous behavior also caused trouble for her husband.

In 2019, at the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Naruhito of Japan, Akira Abe attended as the "First Lady" wearing a milky white short skirt, which was eye-catching among many women wearing knee length skirts or kimonos, causing controversy.

In her personal life, Akira Abe was caught by the media getting drunk in a bar, behaving too intimately with friends, and even holding gatherings in violation of epidemic prevention policies during the epidemic.

In her interview with Shinzo Abe in "The Naked Shinzo Abe", she mentioned a change in her mood. "When I first became the Prime Minister's wife, I desperately wanted to do well and never allowed myself to fail. But the second time, I only wanted to do what I wanted to do well." In 2012, Abe's re-election was clearly unexpected to her, "I think this can also be said to have disrupted the pace of my life.".

·Shinzo Abe and Akira Abe. Data chart

On October 31, 2022, more than three months after Abe's assassination, Akira Abe closed her 10 year old restaurant UZU in Tokyo. It is reported that Abe Zhaohui returned to Yamaguchi Prefecture and bought a pufferfish restaurant, becoming the owner's wife. Yamaguchi Prefecture is a famous producer of pufferfish in Japan, adjacent to Shimonoseki City. It is the most famous place in Japan to eat pufferfish.

·Akira Abe closed her Juju in Tokyo last October.

Chen Yang believes that Akira Abe is now a "special presence" in Japanese politics. On the one hand, as Abe's widow, she has been pitied by the world; On the other hand, she is also the maintainer and inheritor of the Abe legacy, which is despised by Abe's opponents.

This time, Abe Zhaohui's visit to Taiwan has exposed her restless ambition. For any grandiose reason, this visit to Taiwan is destined to be a failure.