The people of the United States and the others throughout the world who love freedom have lost a friend and champion of the first order. That loss is particularly painful for me. What the world witnessed was the sad endings of a great man. What I experienced was the loss of a friend and fellow activist who shared my most precious values.
I first met Abe when, as a member of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, I was part of an official delegation visit to Japan. I had been lucky enough to read a major foreign policy speech that Abe had given during his first term as Prime Minister. Once I was in Tokyo, U.S. State Department hacks did their best to dissuade me from meeting Abe. He was portrayed as a “has been,” “a nobody.” So, I found him on my own.
Abe was then operating out of a mid-level corporate office that he shared with three other less-than-senior executives. I had to sit up close to his desk, right next to him so our conversation would not bother the other company executives.
Yes, he was the guy I was looking for: The leader who penned and believed in the inspirational pro-freedom Japanese strategy that our State Department didn’t want American policy makers to discuss. Despite what was done to silence him and thwart his return, Abe was able to come back and re-win his Prime Minister job. He was for a decade a counter balance to the evil and threatening force that continues to be in control of China. Shinzo Abe was the Winston Churchill of half the world.
Now we must do the job with Japan at our side, but without him. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The man with solid values and a leader with vision and courage. He will be missed. He already is.
I first met Abe when, as a member of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, I was part of an official delegation visit to Japan. I had been lucky enough to read a major foreign policy speech that Abe had given during his first term as Prime Minister. Once I was in Tokyo, U.S. State Department hacks did their best to dissuade me from meeting Abe. He was portrayed as a “has been,” “a nobody.” So, I found him on my own.
Abe was then operating out of a mid-level corporate office that he shared with three other less-than-senior executives. I had to sit up close to his desk, right next to him so our conversation would not bother the other company executives.
Yes, he was the guy I was looking for: The leader who penned and believed in the inspirational pro-freedom Japanese strategy that our State Department didn’t want American policy makers to discuss. Despite what was done to silence him and thwart his return, Abe was able to come back and re-win his Prime Minister job. He was for a decade a counter balance to the evil and threatening force that continues to be in control of China. Shinzo Abe was the Winston Churchill of half the world.
Now we must do the job with Japan at our side, but without him. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The man with solid values and a leader with vision and courage. He will be missed. He already is.
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