TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — On the first anniversary of the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo Saturday (July 8), Japan’s envoy announced the politician’s widow was making plans to visit Taiwan this month.

Abe was shot as he was delivering a speech at an outside campaign event for a legislative candidate in the city of Nara. Over the years, he had built up a reputation as a friend of Taiwan, also coining the phrase “if Taiwan has an emergency, then Japan also has an emergency.”

His widow, Abe Akie, was planning to travel to Taiwan in July, said Izumi Hiroyasu, the head of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association (JTEA). The Japanese envoy said he hoped she would be able to experience the sincerity of the Taiwanese people, CNA reported.

After the prime minister’s death, many Taiwanese left messages of condolences on a special wall outside the JTEA offices, while Kaohsiung City built a statue as a tribute to his friendship for Taiwan.

On the anniversary Saturday, Taiwan leaders including President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), and Taiwan envoy in Tokyo Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) issued messages of remembrance in Japanese, per CNA. They said they would continue to promote the deepening of bilateral relations.