Originally published on July 5, 2019.
Through the author’s firsthand experience of shaking hands with President Trump during his visit to Japan for the final day of the grand sumo tournament, this essay portrays the international stature of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and a historic turning point in Japanese diplomacy.
Framed as an event where chance and necessity overlapped, it sharply reflects on the meaning of Abe’s diplomacy, the situations in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and the role Japan should play in the world.

2019-07-05
President Trump visited Japan and attended the final day of the grand sumo tournament.
Mr. Kadota Ryusho, Ms. Sakurai Yoshiko, and I were fortunate enough to shake hands with the President.

The following continues from the previous chapter.
Chance and Necessity.
President Trump visited Japan and attended the final day of the grand sumo tournament.
Mr. Kadota Ryusho, Ms. Sakurai Yoshiko, and I were fortunate enough to shake hands with the President.
It seems some people are saying that “Prime Minister Abe had a personal guard unit placed there.”
But that is impossible.
I had never imagined that I would be able to shake hands with the President.
It was Mr. Kadota who invited me.
When it was reported that President Trump would attend the grand sumo tournament, he followed every possible connection and secured box seats.
As Prime Minister Abe and President Trump entered, they happened to pass near our seats.
I immediately called out, “Abe-san!”
He noticed us at once.
I believe Prime Minister Abe probably said to the President, “That white-haired lady is my friend.”
Otherwise, there is no way that the President of the United States would deliberately come over and shake my hand on his way out.
Without thinking, I shouted, “I am from Taiwan, and I am a friend of Tsai Ing-wen.”
I had long believed that Japan needed a politician named Shinzo Abe, and I had supported him all along.
When he became Prime Minister at a young age, and also when he was driven to resign and many people left his side, I continued to support him in my own small way.
My feelings had reached him.
There are both chance and necessity in this world.
This time, it was an घटना in which chance and necessity overlapped.
The President of the United States, the strongest country in the world, is relying on Japan’s Prime Minister.
At President Trump’s request, Prime Minister Abe visited Iran, which was in conflict with the United States.
There is no one else in the world who could accomplish such a thing.
Prime Minister Abe was the first Japanese Prime Minister to stand at the center of the international community.
My judgment had not been mistaken.
For the sake of Japan, and for the sake of the world, let us send our support to politicians who are striving with all their might.
In Hong Kong, the demonstrations on June 16 surpassed two million people, and there is no sign of them subsiding.
In Taiwan, the pro-China forces ended up losing momentum.