Annie Lee (李安妮), the daughter of former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), would attend former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s state funeral at the invitation of Abe’s family, the Lee Teng-hui Foundation has said.
The funeral is to take place at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo tomorrow, Japanese public broadcaster NHK has reported.
Abe was assassinated on the campaign trail on July 8 in the Nara region.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Lee Teng-hui Foundation president Cheng Mu-chun (鄭睦群) last week confirmed Japanese media reports that Annie Lee had been invited to the ceremony and was planning to attend.
Annie Lee, along with Cheng and a foundation research assistant, are scheduled to arrive in Japan today to attend the funeral and a banquet hosted by Japan’s Friends of Lee Teng-hui organization, before returning home on Wednesday.
Lee Teng-hui, who grew up in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial era, maintained deep connections with Japan’s culture and people during his time as president and after his retirement.
Photo: Chen Wen-tsan, Taipei Times
After Lee Teng-hui’s death in 2020, Abe said Japanese had “special feelings of closeness” for him as the builder of the “foundation of Japan-Taiwan relations.”
Taiwan would be officially represented at the funeral by former legislative speakers Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) and Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), the Presidential Office announced earlier this month.
In related news, a bronze statue commemorating Abe was on Saturday unveiled at Hongmaogang’s (紅毛港) Baoan Temple (保安堂) in Kaohsiung’s Fengshan District (鳳山) in a ceremony attended by dignitaries including Control Yuan President Chen Chu (陳菊).
The statue, which stands on a pedestal engraved with the phrase “Always a friend to Taiwan,” was commissioned by the temple in memory of Abe.
In her speech, Chen described the contributions made by the former Japanese prime minister, who spared no effort to raise awareness about Taiwan internationally, its strategic importance to the world, and the need to protect the Taiwanese pursuit of freedom, democracy, dignity and sovereignty.
The statue was created by Taiwanese sculptors Chou Jui-ming (周瑞明) and Yeh Chin-cheng (葉金城), and delivered to the temple on Sept. 16, the temple said.
The temple said it has close ties to Japan, as it is home to a deity that was worshiped by a World War II Japanese naval officer.
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS