Akie Abe, widow of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, had dinner with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and his wife, Melania. They met at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on December 15.
Melania posted a photo of the three on Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social. She wrote, “It was a privilege to host Mrs. Akie Abe at Mar-a-Lago once again. We fondly remembered her late husband and honored his legacy.”
Trump invited Akie Abe because of his close friendship with her late husband. Shinzo Abe was assassinated in 2022.
CNN reported that the meeting was arranged through direct talks between Trump and Akie, not through government channels. CNN also said Trump has regularly called Akie since her husband’s death to check on her.
Shinzo Abe met Trump in New York in November 2016, soon after Trump’s election. They played golf and had other outings, building a strong friendship. Trump has praised Abe even before this year’s U.S. presidential election.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba tried to meet Trump in November during his return from South America. However, Trump’s team said he would not meet foreign leaders before his January inauguration.
Despite this, Trump has met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy since the election. The Japanese government is now working to arrange a meeting between Trump and Ishiba after the inauguration.