Japanese PM Ishiba Did Not Take Part In The Photo Session With APEC Because He Was Stuck In Traffic After Pilgrimage To Alberto Fujimori's Grave

Official photos of APEC country leaders at the summit in Lima Peru (Twitter @apecperu)

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba missed a joint photo session at the APEC Summit in the Peruvian capital, Lima on Saturday due to traffic jams.

A spokesman for the Japanese government said on Monday PM Ishiba was late due to traffic jams on his way home, after visiting the tomb of one of the Peruvian leaders, quoted by Kyodo News November 18.

The photo session on Saturday took place without PM Ishiba. Leaders such as US President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and of course Peru President Dina Bouarte.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference, "Since the photo session was held at the end of the meeting, the absence did not affect the process of building relations with other leaders."

PM Ishiba, who became prime minister in early October, "conveyed his messages and showed his presence firmly during the two-day meeting" Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, Hayashi added.

He said PM Ishiba was caught in a severe traffic jam due to an accident when he returned to the summit site after placing flowers on the grave of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori on the outskirts of Lima.

Meanwhile, in his upload on social media X, PM Ishiba shared a moment when he visited the grave of the late Fujimori.

"I visited President Fujimori's grave," wrote PM Ishiba in the caption of the two photos he uploaded.

It is known that the late Alberto Fujimori, the head of the first Japanese-derived country in the South American country, died at the age of 86 in September.

フジモリ大統領のお墓をお参りいたしました。 pic.twitter.com/1Fl753QlNI

— 石破茂 (@shigeruishiba) November 17, 2024

good luck pic.twitter.com/1Fl753QlNI