KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 — Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today reiterated his admiration for the Japanese people, saying he has respected their discipline and dedication since he first visited their country in 1961.

After attending the launch of the Tsukuba University in Malaysia (UTMy), Dr Mahathir said the 1961 visit left him with an indelible reverence for the Japanese people’s drive to rebuild after World War II.

"I believe that if we adopt some of these values, we too can achieve success as how the Japanese had succeeded.

"That was also why the ‘Look East Policy’ was introduced. And after some 40 years, thousands of students have benefited from studying in Japan, and so too, Malaysia,” he said on Instagram.

Dr Mahathir called the launch of UTMy a result of those policies, and the fruition of his discussions with the late Shinzo Abe during a visit to Japan in 2018.

Abe left office in 2020 and was assassinated two years later.