Japan’s Sankei Shimbun yesterday ran a two-page advertisement purchased by 175 Taiwanese businesses, groups and individuals paying tribute to former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.
Abe died on Friday last week at the age of 67, hours after 41-year-old suspect Tetsuya Yamagami allegedly shot him twice during a campaign speech on a street in Nara, near Osaka, ahead of the Japanese House of Councilors elections, which took place on Sunday.
The advertisement featured a photograph of Abe smiling, with the words: “The most courageous leader who led Japan toward becoming a great country” and “Taiwan’s real friend” written beneath it.
Photo courtesy of the Friends of Shinzo Abe Association in Taiwan
The names of the donors were printed on the opposite page, which also read: “Abe’s contribution to freedom and democracy in the world will never be forgotten.”
The advertisement was organized by the Friends of Shinzo Abe Association in Taiwan, which on Monday asked people to donate NT$50,000 each for the ad to commemorate Abe, which cost ￥13.95 million (US$100,614).
With donations pouring in from Union Bank of Taiwan, Rong San Lin Enterprise, the Liberty Times Group (owner of the Taipei Times and its sister paper, the Liberty Times) and hundreds of others, fundraising was closed by 6pm the same day.
“Abe was Taiwan’s best friend,” association head Mark Chen (陳唐山) said, adding that he hoped ties between Taiwan and Japan will continue to deepen.
“Thank you for your friendship,” Tainan City Japanese Association head Takao Nozaki said yesterday after learning about the advertisement, adding that Japanese readers must have felt the kindness from Taiwanese.
“We have to keep working hard to strengthen the relationship between Japan and Taiwan,” he added.
Additional reporting by Tsai Wen-chu
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