Japanese, Australian Leaders Offer Flowers at Memorial to Abe

Canberra, May 4 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, offered flowers at a memorial monument to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a park in Canberra on Monday. After the event, Takaichi told reporters that she is determined to advance efforts to evolve the free and open Indo-Pacific initiative launched by Abe to make the entire region strong and prosperous. Canberra has exchanges with sister city Nara, where Abe was fatally shot while giving a street speech in 2022. The monument was built in Canberra Nara Peace Park in the Australian capital. Takaichi laid a wreath of white chrysanthemums and red roses and placed her hands together to pay her respects at the monument, which honors Abe’s achievements, calling him a “good friend of Australia.” Albanese offered a yellow wreath and observed a moment of silence. In Australia, the country’s basic treaty of friendship and cooperation with Japan, signed in 1976, is also known as the Nara treaty after it was promoted by Gough Whitlam, who visited the Japanese city in 1973 as prime minister. In the year marking the 50th anniversary of the treaty, Takaichi, a native of Nara Prefecture, planted a black pine tree in the park and pledged to further develop the two countries’ ties. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]