Taiwan President Lai Ching-te delivered a pre-recorded video address Thursday to the inaugural Shinzo Abe and Modern Japan International Research Forum in Tokyo, paying tribute to the late Japanese prime minister as a far-sighted statesman whose ideas continue to shape security and prosperity across the Indo-Pacific. The forum, organized by National Chengchi University's Abe Shinzo Research Center — the world's first permanent academic institution named after the former Japanese leader — convened under the theme "Abe's Grand Strategy and the Taiwan-Japan Relationship as a Cornerstone of the Indo-Pacific."
The gathering brought together senior officials, scholars, and policy figures from both countries at a moment of heightened concern over cross-strait security and regional economic resilience. Lai's participation, though remote, underscored Taipei's sustained effort to anchor its relationship with Tokyo at both the policy and intellectual levels.
Lai Invokes Abe's Indo-Pacific Vision and Cross-Strait Warning
In his remarks, Lai credited Abe's concept of a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" as a landmark contribution to international awareness of Taiwan Strait peace and stability. He also invoked Abe's well-known declaration that "a Taiwan contingency is a Japan contingency," saying the sentiment remains deeply felt among the Taiwanese people.
Lai noted that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has carried forward Abe's legacy by repeatedly stressing the importance of Taiwan Strait stability in international forums and by advancing an upgraded version of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy. He also cited last year's signing of a Taiwan-Japan digital trade agreement as a foundation for broadening bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors.
Senior Officials and Scholars Assess Abe's Strategic Inheritance
The forum's morning session opened with a special address by Akie Abe, widow of the former prime minister, followed by keynote speeches from Presidential Office Senior Adviser Chiu Yi-jen (邱義仁), Japan Institute for National Fundamentals Chairman Yoshiko Sakurai, and Hudson Institute Japan Chair Kenneth R. Weinstein.
In his keynote, Chiu described Abe as one of the most consequential strategic thinkers of the past three to four decades. He highlighted Abe's 2012 proposal for a "Democratic Security Diamond" connecting the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and his 2013 "panoramic diplomacy" framework that expanded Japan's global reach. Chiu argued that Abe grasped early on that international trade and military posture could not be treated as separate domains — a recognition that proved prescient as China extended its economic influence across Southeast Asia through the Belt and Road Initiative.
Chiu also credited Abe with salvaging the Trans-Pacific Partnership after the United States withdrew in 2017. Abe worked domestically to revise relevant legislation and internationally to persuade the remaining ten member states to reconstitute the agreement, which was finalized as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in 2018. Looking ahead, Chiu argued that democracies must work collectively to govern the flow of technology, talent, and capital — particularly in response to what he described as China's use of subsidies, dumping, and intellectual property theft to distort global markets.
Taiwan's AI Supply Chain Role Framed as a Regional Security Asset
Taiwan's Representative to Japan Li Yi-yang (李逸洋) also addressed the forum, crediting Abe with laying the groundwork for the region's current security architecture. Li argued that Taiwan's position as the world's most critical supply chain base for AI hardware manufacturing gives the island strategic importance that extends well beyond the Taiwan Strait, pointing to public statements by the chief executives of NVIDIA and Tesla as evidence of that standing. Defending Taiwan, he contended, is equivalent to defending the AI advantage of democratic nations as a whole.
Li noted that Taiwan's defense budget this year stands at 3.32 percent of GDP, reflecting Taipei's commitment to strengthening its own capabilities. He expressed hope for closer coordination with the United States, Japan, and other like-minded democracies going forward.
Forum Agenda Spans Security and Economic Resilience
The afternoon sessions addressed two thematic areas: Indo-Pacific security under Abe's strategic framework, and economic security in the context of Taiwan-Japan relations. Participants included scholars from the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Seikei University, Waseda University, the University of Tokyo, and the Hudson Institute, among others. The day concluded with a keynote address by Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Koichi Hagiuda and closing remarks by National Chengchi University Abe Shinzo Research Center Director Lee Shih-hui. （Related： Japan Drops Pacifist Ban on Lethal Arms Exports – Mitsubishi & Kawasaki Enter Global Arms Market ｜ Latest ）
