GATLINBURG, TN—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, today announced that he will join the official U.S. Delegation to attend the State Funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo on September 27, 2022.
“I’m deeply honored to join the Presidential Delegation to the late Shinzo Abe’s State Funeral and represent the United States and the Senate in honoring the life of my friend, who was the longest-serving Prime Minister in modern Japanese history and the visionary behind the Free and Open Indo-Pacific.
“When I served as U.S. Ambassador to Japan, I had the pleasure and privilege of working with then-Prime Minister Abe to elevate the U.S.-Japan Alliance and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue to new heights and to increase the security and prosperity of our respective nations. On a personal level, I feel fortunate to have known him and to have worked with him. He will always remain in my heart as a dear friend.
“As U.S. Senator, I remain committed to strengthening the U.S.-Japan relationship and to supporting Prime Minister Abe’s vision of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific.”
On July 21, 2022, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed S.Res. 706, a bipartisan resolution authored by Senators Hagerty and Ben Cardin (D-MD) to honor the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
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