After stepping down, Abe has repeatedly built political momentum this year, including worshiping ghosts at the Yasukuni Shrine and interfering in the Taiwan issue. The purpose is to gather support for him from the right wing in Japan and exert political influence.

Source: Global Network

[Global Network Reporter Lin Zeyu] According to Taiwan media reports, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will attend an event at a research institution on the island of Taiwan on the 1st of next month and give a video speech on "Taiwan-Japan Relations."

After stepping down, Abe has repeatedly campaigned politically this year, including worshiping ghosts at the Yasukuni Shrine and interfering in the Taiwan issue. The purpose is to gather support for him from the right wing in Japan and exert political influence.

Abe Shinzo profile picture

Taiwan’s green media Sanli News Network cheered on the 25th, declaring, “We have a clear stance in support of Taiwan! Abe will give a video speech focusing on Taiwan’s participation in CPTPP.” According to reports, Kuo Yu-jen, CEO of Taiwan’s National Policy Research Institute, told a reporter from Taiwan’s Central News Agency on the evening of the 24th that the National Policy Research Institute’s “Influence Forum” invited Abe to give a video speech on December 1. According to reports, Abe will deliver a video speech titled "Taiwan-Japan Relations in the New Era".

Guo Yuren data map

According to the official website of the "National Policy Research Institute", this institution is Taiwan's first public policy research institution established entirely with private funding. It is a non-partisan private think tank dedicated to the so-called "enhancement of Taiwan's international status." .

Guo Yuren claimed that Taoyuan Mayor Zheng Wencan, Hsinchu Mayor Lin Zhijian and DPP "legislator" Luo Zhizheng and others will respectively discuss the strategic competition between China and the United States, the so-called "democracy and human rights" between Taiwan and Japan, economic and technological security cooperation, and Taiwan Japan's 2+2 "Ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs" talks, Taiwan's entry into the CPTPP, the US-Japan alliance's response to Taiwan's troubles, and the future direction of Sino-Japanese relations, etc. asked Abe questions. The

report also quoted Guo Yuren as saying that after Abe stepped down as Japan's prime minister, he still served as the leader of the "Abe faction" (Qinghehui), the largest faction of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and had a significant influence on the party and Japanese politics. Guo Yuren also advocated that Abe has long held special feelings for Taiwan and also advocated strengthening the partnership between Japan and Taiwan.

Abe and these forces in Taiwan are obviously using each other to increase their exposure.

In fact, although Guo Yuren emphasized Abe's political influence, in fact, Abe's current situation is not optimistic. According to previous reports by Japanese media, the former chairman of the Seiwa Kaikai Hiroyuki Hosoda became the speaker of the House of Representatives. In this regard, the Seiwa Kaikai held a cadre meeting on November 9 and unanimously agreed to elect former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to succeed Hiroyuki Hosoda as the president of the faction. Abe officially took office on the 11th. However, according to reports from many Japanese media including Nikkan Modern, Abe failed to fully control the "Abe faction" after taking office.

"Nikkan Modern": What happened to former Prime Minister Abe? After taking office as the faction president, he was suddenly absent from the first general meeting, which confused people around him.

"Nikkan Modern" reported on the 20th that the first general meeting of the faction after the Seiwa Kai was named "Abe faction" was held on the 18th. However, As president, Shinzo Abe was absent from the first general meeting without prior contact, which caused dissatisfaction among faction members. A person related to the "Abe faction" revealed, "It seems that Abe felt that his appointment as president was not as popular as he imagined." Welcome, no more trouble." In addition, a secretary of a member of the "Abe faction" told Nikkan Modern, "There are two forces in the Seiwakai, the 'Abe faction' and the 'Fukuda faction.' The 'Fukuda faction' is very dissatisfied with Mr. Abe's willful attitude. It may take a long time for him to truly become the chairman of the 'Abe faction'."

Kishida Fumio (left) and Liberal Democratic Party Vice President Taro Aso (Photo source: Japanese media photo on November 9)

For Abe. , in addition to "internal troubles", there are also "foreign troubles". In order to get rid of Abe's influence, when Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was elected, Shinzo Abe tried to appoint his close associates Sanae Takaichi, Koichi Hagiuda and others to serve as Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party and Chief Cabinet Secretary, but was rejected by Fumio Kishida. In addition, he instead reused members of the "Fukuda Clan" and appointed Hayashimasa Hayashi, Abe's "natural enemy", as the Minister of Foreign Affairs when forming the second Kishida Cabinet. Japanese media once revealed that in order to contain Kishida, Shinzo Abe plans to play the "Taiwan card" and visit Taiwan in 2022.Guo Yuren advocated that Abe has long had "special feelings" for Taiwan, but Abe's invitation to give a video speech at Taiwan's so-called "influence forum" may be part of his intra-party political struggle.