PUTRAJAYA: Senior International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali will represent the Malaysian prime minister in attending the state funeral for the ex-prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, tomorrow.
The Foreign Ministry, in a statement, confirmed that Azmin would be Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob's representative in attending the funeral at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, which will include many top leaders and dignitaries from Japan.
The statement said Azmin will be accompanied by officers from the Malaysian Embassy in Tokyo at the funeral.
"The ceremony includes a meeting with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno and Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi.
"It will be followed by a brief meeting to convey condolences to Abe's wife, Akie Abe at Akasaka Palace, Tokyo."
Wisma Putra added that throughout his tenure as prime minister, Abe visited Malaysia three times and had played an important role in improving bilateral trade, including strengthening the Look East Policy.
It said that the last visit Abe paid to Malaysia was in his capacity as the Japanese prime minister's special envoy to attend the 40th anniversary of the Look East Policy from March 10 to March 12 this year.
During that visit, Abe had met with Ismail Sabri and was granted an audience with Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.
Ismail Sabri and Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah had signed the condolence book at the Japanese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur on July 13.
Abe died on July 8 after being shot during a campaign rally in Nara, western Japan, ahead of the country's House of Councillors (upper house) elections. He was 67.