Akie Abe, the widow of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has inherited her late husband¡¯s Taiwan-friendly stance, wrapping up a visit that aimed to deepen ties between Tokyo and Taipei.

Shortly after the one-year anniversary of Shinzo Abe¡¯s assassination, Akie Abe, 61, traveled to the self-ruled island to continue her husband¡¯s legacy of reorienting Japan¡¯s policy toward Taiwan, which helped usher in closer bilateral ties.

Akie Abe received a warm welcome from the Taiwanese government, and met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and Vice President Lai Ching-te ¡ª who is also the frontrunner in the island¡¯s 2024 election ¡ª separately on Wednesday.