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Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
In a rare gesture, Putin lends his car to Shinzo Abe's widow for Moscow theatre visit
Russian President offered a rare personal gesture to Akie Abe, widow of assassinated former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He lent her his own luxury car for a visit to Moscow's iconic Bolshoi Theatre. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The meeting took place on Thursday at the Kremlin and was aired on Russian state television. In the footage, Akie Abe was seen shedding tears as Putin praised her late husband's legacy and their shared diplomatic efforts. "I am very grateful to your husband. I will remember his contribution to the development of Russian-Japanese cooperation," Putin said, presenting Akie with a bouquet of flowers. He also encouraged her to enjoy the ballet and arranged for her to be driven in his personal Russian-made Aurus limousine. The Kremlin said the visit was not official. Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters the government had 'not had any correspondence with (Akie)' and was 'not in a position to comment.' The meeting is being viewed as a charm offensive by the Russian side at a time when relations between the two countries remain strained due to Japan's sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. During their conversation, Putin remembered Abe's efforts toward a peace treaty between their nations. 'I know his dream — and he pursued it earnestly — was concluding a peace treaty between our nations. We made significant progress together on this path,' he said according to Asahi Shimbun. But he added, 'The current situation differs; we will not address that aspect today.' Akie Abe said, 'The fact that (Shinzo) hosted you [in Yamaguchi Prefecture in 2016] demonstrates his particularly sincere attitude toward your country.' Tired of too many ads? go ad free now She added that although she is not a politician, 'Russia is a very important neighbour' for Japan and expressed hope for continued cultural exchange. Reflecting on her late husband's relationship with Putin, she said, 'Even after the onset of the challenging situation concerning Ukraine, my husband hoped to meet with you. Regrettably, circumstances prevented further meetings: his life was cut short.' Shinzo Abe was Japan's longest-serving prime minister and met with Putin 27 times during his tenure. He was shot and killed in July 2022 while giving a campaign speech in Nara. Putin did not attend his state funeral in Tokyo that year.
Asahi Shimbun
3 days ago
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Putin offers warm welcome to teary Akie Abe in Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin brought Akie Abe, the widow of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, to tears with his words as they met in Moscow on May 29. The Kremlin announced the meeting that day. During the meeting, Putin said that he is 'very grateful' to her late husband and will 'remember his contribution to the development of Russian-Japanese cooperation.' During Abe's tenure as prime minister, the two leaders held 27 summits. A portion of the meeting with Akie on May 29 was televised on Russia's state television, and Putin welcomed Abe's widow by giving her a bouquet of flowers. In the footage, Akie was seen shedding tears as she listened to Putin's words. According to the Russian state-run TASS news agency, Putin recommended that Akie see a ballet at the Bolshoi Theatre, one of Russia's most famous theaters. He even allowed Akie to use his personal limousine to travel to the theater. The unusually favorable treatment can be seen as Putin's move aimed at improving relations with Japan. It is also believed that the charm offensive is intended to bring Japan closer to Russia, which is under severe economic sanctions from the United States and Europe. According to the TV footage and the Kremlin's official website, Putin noted that Shinzo Abe and his father, former Foreign Minister Shintaro Abe, had focused on diplomatic efforts with the former Soviet Union and Russia. Putin said: 'I know his dream--and he pursued it earnestly--was concluding a peace treaty between our nations. We made significant progress together on this path.' But he added, 'The current situation differs; we will not address that aspect today.' It is believed that Putin said that while keeping in mind that Japan had imposed sanctions in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In their conversation, Akie recalled Putin's visit to her husband's hometown of Yamaguchi Prefecture in December 2016 and said, 'The fact that (Shinzo) hosted you there demonstrates his particularly sincere attitude toward your country.' After prefacing that she is not a politician and does not wish to address political matters, Akie said that Russia is 'a very important neighbor' for Japan and that she hopes cultural exchanges continue. Abe focused intently on the disputed Japan-Russia Northern Territories negotiations and last met with Putin in September 2019. The former prime minister was shot and killed in July 2022 while giving a campaign speech in Nara, almost two years after resigning from office. At the time, Russia's full invasion of Ukraine had already begun and Putin did not attend Abe's state funeral in September that year in Tokyo. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi declined to comment on Akie's visit to Moscow at a news conference on May 30. 'The Japanese government has not had any correspondence with (Akie) and is not in a position to comment,' he said.
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 days ago
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
After Trump, Shinzo Abe's Widow Meets Putin
Russian leader Vladimir Putin hosted the widow of assassinated former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, the Kremlin said, five months after then US president-elect Donald Trump welcomed her at Mar-a-Lago. Akie Abe was not in Russia in an official capacity, and Tokyo -- whose relations with Moscow are frosty -- said Friday it had not communicated with the 62-year-old about the visit, AFP said. Putin said it had been Shinzo Abe's "dream" to conclude "a peace treaty between our nations", according to a Kremlin statement in English published on Thursday. "The current situation differs; we will not address that aspect today," Putin said, offering Abe flowers and reportedly his presidential limousine to go to a ballet at the Bolshoi Theatre. While Putin made a trip to Shinzo Abe's little-visited home prefecture Yamaguchi in 2016, Japan-Russia relations -- while never warm -- have deteriorated sharply since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Akie Abe, who also met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September, said her late husband had met Putin no fewer than 27 times. "I might add that even after the onset of the challenging situation concerning Ukraine, my husband hoped to meet with you. Regrettably, circumstances prevented further meetings: his life was cut short," the Kremlin quoted Abe as saying. Born to a wealthy Japanese family, she married Shinzo Abe in 1987 and rose to prominence during his terms as prime minister from 2006-7 and 2012-20. As Japan's longest-serving premier, Abe became one of the country's most recognizable political figures, known for cultivating international alliances and his "Abenomics" economic strategy. He was shot and killed while speaking at a political campaign rally on July 8, 2022. Shinzo Abe was also close to Trump during the US president's first term, gifting him a gold-colored golf club that the American admitted in 2023 to temporarily misplacing.
NHK
3 days ago
- General
- NHK
Putin meets widow of former Japanese Prime Minister Abe in Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin has met Abe Akie, the widow of the late Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo in Moscow. The meeting took place at the Kremlin on Thursday. It is not clear what brought Abe to the capital to meet the Russian leader. Abe touched on Putin's visit in 2016 to Yamaguchi Prefecture in western Japan for summit talks with her husband. The prefecture was the former prime minister's home constituency. She described Russia as a "very important neighbour for Japan," and said she would be happy if cultural exchanges between the two countries could develop. Putin said Russia remembers the late prime minister's contribution to the development of Russian-Japanese cooperation. He said Abe's dream was concluding a peace treaty between the two nations, and noted that the Japanese leader "pursued it earnestly." Putin added, "We made significant progress together on this path." After the meeting, Putin provided his private vehicle, the Aurus Senat limousine, to take Abe to the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Abe met then US President-elect Donald Trump in the United States last December, shortly before he took office. She later gave a speech and said she would like to serve as a bridge with other countries.
Reuters
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Russians pay last respects to ballet maestro Grigorovich
MOSCOW, May 23 (Reuters) - Russians paid their last respects to dance legend Yuri Grigorovich on Friday at the Bolshoi Theatre where he reigned for decades as artistic director of one of the world's most famous ballet companies. Grigorovich, considered one of the most influential choreographers of the 20th century, died on Monday at the age of 98. Leading figures from the Russian arts world gathered inside the gilded auditorium of the Bolshoi to pay tribute to him. Grigorovich's coffin was placed in front of the stage, where a giant photograph of the puckish, white-haired ballet master was displayed. Hundreds of Muscovites, many carrying flowers, were waiting outside the theatre in central Moscow. They applauded as his casket was carried down the steps, accompanied by a portrait of Grigorovich and three huge floral wreaths. "I really loved him. He was a genius... so I could not miss this farewell," said pensioner Alexandra Tretyakova. Grigorovich was famed for productions of Spartacus, Ivan the Terrible, Romeo and Juliet and many other ballets that were staged in Russia and around the world. He was especially noted for male roles requiring extraordinary strength and technique. Ballerina Lyubov Filippova told Reuters that the late choreographer was a "colossus" and an idol. "This person will always remain with us, in our hearts, in our lives. And we should continue to learn from his ballets," she said.
