US & Canada

Widow of Late Japan PM Abe Meets with Trump

From X account of Melania Trump
(From the left) U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, Akie Abe and Trump’s wife Melania pose for a photo at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

Jiji Press

15:40 JST, December 16, 2024

WASHINGTON (Jiji Press) — Akie Abe, the widow of the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, met with incoming U.S. President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Sunday.

Trump’s wife, Melania, posted on social media a photo of her, her husband and Akie standing side by side and smiling. “It was a privilege to host Mrs. Akie Abe at Mar-a-Lago once again,” Melania said in the post. “We fondly remembered her late husband, former Prime Minister Abe, and honored his remarkable legacy.”

The Japanese and U.S. governments are not believed to have been involved in the meeting. U.S. media had reported that Trump would have a private dinner with Akie.

During his first term, Trump developed a good relationship with then Japanese Prime Minister Abe. According to a CNN reporter, Trump has regularly called Akie since her husband was shot dead in July 2022.

Trump won a second term in November. Current Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba sought to meet with the president-elect when he visited South America later that month, but the offer was declined by the Trump side.