Japan declines to comment on meeting between Abe’s widow, Putin

30 May 2025 09:14

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Japan declines to comment on meeting between Abe’s widow, Putin

Photo: Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS

The Japanese government has not communicated with Akie Abe, the widow of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, over her trip to Russia, nor does it comment on her meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi stated.

"We are aware that the administration of the Russian president reported that, on May 29, Akie Abe, the wife of former [deceased] Prime Minister Abe, met in Moscow with Russian President [Vladimir] Putin," he said, News.Az reports, citing TASS.

"As a government, [we] have not exchanged [opinions] with Akie Abe, and we cannot comment on this issue anyway," he added.

"We call on people to refrain from visiting Russia," Hayashi reiterated.

Japan has issued the third-highest level advisory on its four-point scale for most of Russia including Moscow to ask Japanese citizens to refrain from nonessential travel to the area.

Putin received Akie Abe in Moscow on May 29. The Russian president said her husband had sincerely worked toward a full restoration of Russia-Japan cooperation and put a lot of effort into that. According to Putin, Russia remembers Shinzo Abe’s contribution to the development of bilateral cooperation. Akie told the Russian leader that her spouse had hoped to hold a face-to-face meeting with him following the launch of Russia’s special military operation. She also expressed hope that cultural and humanitarian exchanges between Russia and Japan would develop.

Abe and Putin had warm and friendly relations. They met 27 times in total, and were known to talk to each other like old friends do.

Abe was assassinated on July 8, 2022.

News.Az