Trump: "Abe is a great friend... I want to express my highest respect"

Donald Trump, President of the United States, gives a thumbs-up as he boards the presidential aircraft at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington DC to visit Florida, a key battleground state in the presidential election. (Photo by Reuters Washington=Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his condolences to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who abruptly announced his resignation due to health reasons, saying he "wants to pay the highest respect."

According to foreign media including Japan's Kyodo News, President Trump met with reporters on the presidential plane returning to the White House after a campaign rally in New Hampshire on the 28th (local time) and said, "I want to pay the highest respect to my very good friend, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe," adding, "We have had a great relationship." He also added, "It is undoubtedly a very serious matter that he is stepping down, so I am very sorry about it."

President Trump emphasized, "I cannot imagine what it means for Prime Minister Abe, who loves his country very much, to step down," and "He is a great gentleman. That is why I am paying the highest respect."

Kyodo News reported, citing sources from Japanese and U.S. authorities, that Prime Minister Abe plans to have a phone call with President Trump on the 31st. It is expected that during this call, Abe will request that the U.S. continue strong bilateral cooperation with Japan under his successor.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.