On March 23, the Prime Minster of Japan, Shinzo Abe, visited the Anne Frank House and met with Mr. Ronald Leopold, Executive Director of Anne Frank House.

The visit was part of Abe's trip to the Netherlands from March 23 to 25.

Ronald Leopold extended his welcome to Prime Minister Abe, who is the first incumbent Prime Minister to visit the House, and said that this visit would further strengthen the longstanding relations between Japan and the Anne Frank House. He also stated that he was shocked by the incident of tearing of the diary of Anne Frank in Japan, but also expressed his appreciation that it is moving toward resolution by the prompt handling by the relevant authorities.

In response, Prime Minister Abe expressed his gratitude to the Anne Frank House for donating their catalogues and miniatures to libraries in Japan this month. He also said, "I read the diary of Anne Frank in my childhood. Not only I, but also countless Japanese people have been deeply moved by the life and writings of Anne Frank, who never lost hope, despite her desperate situation."

"The 20th century was an era in which there were repeated wars and repression of human rights but the world should be free from such phenomena in the 21st century. We would like to achieve peace by acknowledging historical issues in an open manner and passing down the lessons learned from history to the future generations", the Japanese Premier added.

Abe mentioned that the incident of tearing of the diary was deeply regrettable and he wished it would never happen again.

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