As the world reflects on the legacy of Shinzo Abe, I would like to add these words of remembrance and admiration. The former prime minister was a remarkable global leader and a great friend and supporter of this University.
Eight years ago, Prime Minister Abe visited Columbia and gave a speech at our World Leaders Forum. He recalled the historic ties between the University and Japan, shared memories from his early years working in New York, and reflected on his unwavering belief in the friendship between his country and the United States. He was a warm and solicitous guest who spoke with faculty and took tough questions, publicly, from students.
This remarkable man was a statesman who understood the importance of global interconnectivity. He was devoted to strengthening and expanding alliances across nations and travelled extensively to meet with foreign leaders during his tenure as prime minister. In his remarks at the World Leaders Forum, he spoke about the centrality of cross-cultural intellectual exchanges to these relationships and expressed his admiration for Columbia and its commitment to Japanese studies.
Prime Minister Abe believed deeply in the role that institutions of higher education should play in bridging divides and expanding our collective understanding of the world. He attended Columbia University conferences held in Tokyo and met often with members of our faculty. He had a profound appreciation for the work our students and scholars were undertaking in areas ranging from Japanese politics and policy making to history, economics, languages, and the arts.
On behalf of the entire University, I express my deep sorrow at the death of Prime Minister Abe and I offer my most heartfelt condolences to his family and to the Japanese people for this sudden, senseless, and terrible loss.
-Lee C. Bollinger
