THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
May 30, 2025 at 18:37 JST
Russian President Vladimir Putin brought Akie Abe, the widow of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, to tears with his words as they met in Moscow on May 29.
The Kremlin announced the meeting that day.
During the meeting, Putin said that he is “very grateful” to her late husband and will “remember his contribution to the development of Russian-Japanese cooperation.”
During Abe’s tenure as prime minister, the two leaders held 27 summits.
A portion of the meeting with Akie on May 29 was televised on Russia’s state television, and Putin welcomed Abe's widow by giving her a bouquet of flowers.
In the footage, Akie was seen shedding tears as she listened to Putin’s words.
According to the Russian state-run TASS news agency, Putin recommended that Akie see a ballet at the Bolshoi Theatre, one of Russia’s most famous theaters.
He even allowed Akie to use his personal limousine to travel to the theater.
The unusually favorable treatment can be seen as Putin’s move aimed at improving relations with Japan.
It is also believed that the charm offensive is intended to bring Japan closer to Russia, which is under severe economic sanctions from the United States and Europe.
According to the TV footage and the Kremlin’s official website, Putin noted that Shinzo Abe and his father, former Foreign Minister Shintaro Abe, had focused on diplomatic efforts with the former Soviet Union and Russia.
Putin said: “I know his dream--and he pursued it earnestly--was concluding a peace treaty between our nations. We made significant progress together on this path.”
But he added, “The current situation differs; we will not address that aspect today.”
It is believed that Putin said that while keeping in mind that Japan had imposed sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In their conversation, Akie recalled Putin’s visit to her husband's hometown of Yamaguchi Prefecture in December 2016 and said, “The fact that (Shinzo) hosted you there demonstrates his particularly sincere attitude toward your country.”
After prefacing that she is not a politician and does not wish to address political matters, Akie said that Russia is “a very important neighbor” for Japan and that she hopes cultural exchanges continue.
Abe focused intently on the disputed Japan-Russia Northern Territories negotiations and last met with Putin in September 2019.
The former prime minister was shot and killed in July 2022 while giving a campaign speech in Nara, almost two years after resigning from office.
At the time, Russia’s full invasion of Ukraine had already begun and Putin did not attend Abe’s state funeral in September that year in Tokyo.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi declined to comment on Akie's visit to Moscow at a news conference on May 30.
“The Japanese government has not had any correspondence with (Akie) and is not in a position to comment,” he said.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes Akie Abe, wife of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on May 29 (Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via REUTERS)
