Japan-Singapore Relations
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Pays a Condolence Call Following the Death of the Former President of Singapore
On August 25, commencing at 4:20 p.m. (local time) for approximately 10 minutes, Mr. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister, along with his wife Mrs. Akie Abe and Mr. Fumio Kishida, Minister for Foreign Affairs, who were stopping over in the Republic of Singapore en route to the Republic of Kenya to attend the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI), visited Singapore’s Parliament House to pay their respects to H.E. Mr. Sellapan Ramanathan (S R Nathan), former President of Singapore, who passed away on August 22 and is laying in state at Paliament House. The overview is as follows.
1. At the beginning, after being met by H.E. Mr. Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, former President Nathan’s wife, and H.E. Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Singapore, Prime Minister Abe explained to the spouse of the late former President Nathan’s that “In 2009 former President Nathan became the first President of Singapore to make a state visit to Japan, and during that visit he also became the first foreign head of state to meet atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima, which is something the people of Japan will never forget.”
2. Following that, Prime Minister Abe, his wife, and Foreign Minister Kishida each signed a condolence book, and then along with Prime Minister Lee, his wife, and Minister Balakrishnan showed their condolences in front of former President Nathan’s body. Prime Minister Abe and his wife also approached former President Nathan’s body and bowed silently.
3. After that, Prime Minister Abe, his wife, and Minister Kishida exchanged farewell greetings with former President Nathan’s wife and other members of the bereaved family, and then departed the venue while being seen off by Prime Minister Lee, his wife, and Minister Balakrishnan.