TOKYO - When Singapore's former president S R Nathan died in 2016, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the first foreign leader to personally pay his respects at the state funeral.
He said then that Japan would never forget the kindness of Mr Nathan, who was fluent in Japanese and in 2009 had become the first foreign head of state to visit Hiroshima to meet atomic bomb survivors.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Read the full story and more at $9.90/month
Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month
ST One Digital
$9.90/month
No contract
ST app access on 1 mobile device
Unlock these benefits
All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com
Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device
E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you
