On September 27, the first lady of Colombia, Verónica Alcocer, appointed by presidential decree as Ambassador on Special Mission, attended the official invitation that the Government of Japan made to Colombia for the accompaniment and participation in Tokyo to the funeral ceremony organized in memory of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated on July 8, 2022 in the midst of his country’s electoral campaign.
In view of the importance in diplomatic relations of this state funeral, President Gustavo Petro appointed Alcocer to personally deliver the significant message of condolences from the Colombian people to the State of Japan, and in a special way, to the Abe family and the people Japanese.
The Colombian first lady was received by Mrs. Yuko Kishida, wife of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, in a gesture of great significance for the country’s bilateral relations with the eastern power.
I thank the First Lady of Japan, Yuko Kishida, for her invitation to meet us at her home.
We talked about the difficulties of women, inequalities, violence, as well as the importance of creating alliances and strengthening women’s networks around the world. pic.twitter.com/BthFTHUubt
– Veronica Alcocer Garcia (@Veronicalcocerg) September 28, 2022
Within the framework of this meeting, Alcocer highlighted the role of women and their contributions in the construction of society and the State.
Context
Since 1967, when such a high tribute was paid to former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida, leader of his country’s economic reconstruction after World War II, the Japanese government has not held a State Funeral.
The Abe family has been linked to Colombia for many years. Both the grandfather and the father of the murdered politician visited our country on different occasions.
Mexico present at the state funeral of Shinzo Abe
Abe, the most influential Japanese politician of the last half of the 20th century and of the two decades of the 21st, managed to recover the Japanese leading role in the international arena. Under his leadership, it managed to consolidate leadership not only in the Pacific basin, but also in the G-8 and the G-20.
Such was the international stature achieved by Abe and the global recognition achieved, that his funeral was attended by high-ranking personalities from around the world, including the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris; Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau; the former Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, and the senior political leadership of the Pacific Rim States and other regions of the world.
