YOU Si-kun: Prime Minister Abe is “far-sighted, leaving an ever-lasting legacy in the world history.”

President YOU, accompanied by Legislator Lin Chu-yin, attended the banquet for Mme. Akie Abe's gratitude visit to Taiwan organized by the Taiwan Abe Shinzo Friendship Association on the evening of July 17, 2023. Vice President Lai Ching-te, President of the Taiwan Friends of Abe Association Mark T.S. Chen, President of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association Su Jia-chyuan, and Chief Representative of Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Taipei Office Izumi Hiroyasu were also in attendance to extend a warm welcome to Mme. Akie Abe.

In his opening remarks, President You welcomed Mme. Abe and expressed his honor to meet her tonight. He pointed out that former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is a great statesman as well as an international strategist. President You quoted Mr. Abe’s statement on December 1, 2021, “a Taiwan contingency is a contingency for Japan as well as for the Japan-US alliance.” He affirmed Japan’s stance would never allow other countries to invade Taiwan. This perspective successfully stabilized the situation in the Taiwan Strait. Prime Minister Abe’s statement had become well-known globally and was frequently quoted by many international leaders. President You recalled visiting the “Indomitable Politician, Shinzo Abe Photo Exhibition” held at the Tokyo Tower on November 30 last year and left a message in the guest book: “ (Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is) far-sighted, leaving an ever-lasting legacy in the world history,” to express his admiration and gratitude.

President You then mentioned that former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hails from Yamaguchi Prefecture, and Mr. Abe’s contributions to Taiwan-Japan relations, the Indo-Pacific region and international peace reminded him of a great Japanese intellectual, Mr. Yoshida Shoin who is from Yamaguchi Prefecture as well. Yoshida Shoin may not have witnessed the constitutional promulgation led by Emperor Meiji in 1889, but his outstanding contributions to the Meiji Restoration and Japan's prosperity were undeniable. President You recited a poem by Yoshida Shoin, “Isohara Inn,” on the spot:

I was drinking to the long wind in the seatower. My face was red and my ears were hot and I was drunk. Suddenly, I saw the clouds and waves ten thousand miles away. I led my army to the battlefield, and a million brave soldiers rushed upwards. The dream is shattered, the light extinguished, and the sound of the waves shakes my pillow and the night.

President You acknowledged Yoshida Shoin as a patriotic and thoughtful intellectual and praised former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo's dedication and contributions is as tremendous as Yoshida Shoin had ever made.