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His Excellency Prime Minister Shinzō Abe continued his foreign policy endeavors, with a visit to the People’s Republic of China in 2018. There, he met with the Chinese president, His Excellency Xi Jinping, to whom he extended a reciprocal invitation to visit Japan. Subsequently, visa restrictions on Chinese citizens visiting Japan were eased. In 2007, during His Excellency Shinzō Abe’s first term as prime minister, he gave the now-famous speech “Confluence of the Two Seas” in an address to the Indian Parliament, which emphasized the significance of uniting the Pacific and Indian Oceans to promote a “broader Asia.” His Excellency Shinzō Abe changed the way that many foreign policy decision-makers view and discuss Asia. He persuaded people around the world to perceive Asia through the “Indo-Pacific” viewpoint. In his book “Truth be Told of ABE Shinzo,” Professor Taniguchi mentions His Excellency Shinzō Abe visited 176 countries during his tenure as prime minister. With Prime Minister Abe aboard, the Japanese government aircraft flew 1,581,281 kilometers, almost 40 times the circumference of the equator. On April 29, 2015, Prime Minister Abe addressed the joint session of the US Congress in Washington, D.C., USA. On the subject of Japan’s history in conflict, His Excellency Shinzō Abe stated: “Postwar, we started out on our path, bearing in mind feelings of deep remorse over the war. Our actions brought suffering to the people – peoples in Asian countries. We must not avert our eyes from that. I will uphold the views expressed by the previous prime ministers in this regard. We must all the more contribute in every respect to the development of Asia. We must spare no effort in working for the peace and prosperity of the region.” In March 19, 2022, he spoke at the Kindai University graduation ceremony. His encouraging words for the graduates again attracted attention. “They said it was impossible for me to return to presidency. How did it become possible? It was never because I was an exceptional human being, nor was it because I was particularly strong. Just one thing: It was because I never gave up. And because I was given the courage not to give up.” His Excellency Shinzō Abe was named one of the most influential people of 2014 and 2018 by Time Magazine. He was also posthumously awarded some of Japan’s highest official honors by its Royal family, including Junior First Rank, Collar of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum, and Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum.
