European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen known as the assault a “brutal and cowardly homicide,” including {that a} “fantastic individual, nice democrat and champion of the multilateral world order has handed away.”
In Asia, the highest Philippine diplomat, Enrique Manalo, remembered Abe and mentioned he could be “very a lot missed.”
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol called his dying an act of “terrorism” throughout an election interval, that attacked “the very basis of democracy.” He additionally despatched a letter of condolence to Abe’s spouse, Akie. Seoul has traditionally had a tense relationship with Tokyo, which colonized Korea, however Yoon has sought to develop nearer ties since taking workplace this 12 months.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Abe a “expensive buddy” and mentioned his nation would observe a nationwide day of mourning on Saturday, “as a mark of our deepest respect.”
Cautious of an assertive China, Abe developed shut ties between Japan, Asia’s richest democracy, and India, the area’s most populous. He was a very vocal proponent of the Quad, an off-the-cuff community of Japan, India, Australia and the US that’s seen as a counterweight to Beijing.
A spokesperson on the Chinese language embassy in Japan mentioned Abe had “made contributions in direction of enhancing China-Japan relations throughout his time period,” Reuters reported. “We categorical our condolences on his dying and ship our sympathies to his household.”
As a mark of our deepest respect for former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, a at some point nationwide mourning shall be noticed on 9 July 2022.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 8, 2022
President Biden mentioned he was “shocked, outraged, and deeply saddened by the information.”
“This can be a tragedy for Japan and for all who knew him,” he added. “Even in the mean time he was attacked, he was engaged within the work of democracy.” Biden added that “gun violence at all times leaves a deep scar on the communities which can be affected by it.” The talk over weapons in the US has heightened in current weeks following a lot of mass shootings, together with at a grocery retailer, an elementary faculty and a July Fourth parade.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, talking on the sidelines of a Group of 20 overseas ministers assembly in Indonesia, known as the assassination “profoundly disturbing,” and mentioned “to the US, Prime Minister Abe was a unprecedented accomplice.”
Former president Barack Obama tweeted his shock on the assassination of his “buddy.” He recalled “transferring” visits to Hiroshima and Pearl Harbor with Abe in 2016.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel additionally said Friday that he was “deeply saddened” by the information, calling Abe a “buddy of America.”
I’m shocked and saddened by the assassination of my buddy and longtime accomplice Shinzo Abe in Japan. Former Prime Minister Abe was dedicated to each the nation he served and the extraordinary alliance between the US and Japan.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 8, 2022
Former president Donald Trump, who developed shut ties with Abe whereas in workplace, put out a message on his social media platform hailing Abe as a “unifier” and a person who “liked and cherished” his nation.
Trump additionally known as for swift and harsh punishment for Abe’s killer.
Tokyo’s relations with Moscow have turn out to be strained in current months, as Japan imposed sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Nevertheless, Russia despatched its sympathies.
The Kremlin “strongly condemned” the killing, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned. “Abe was a patriot who defended Tokyo’s pursuits on the negotiation desk.”
As prime minister, Abe labored to enhance relations with Russia with hopes of resolving a long-running dispute over islands close to Japan that the Soviet Union seized in 1945. Russia withdrew from talks to resolve the difficulty in March. Finally, Abe tried to repair the dispute as prime minister however couldn’t persuade the Kremlin to shift its place.
“Horrible information of a brutal assassination,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “This heinous act of violence has no excuse.
Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted that it was “extremely unhappy information” and mentioned Abe’s “world management by means of unchartered occasions will probably be remembered by many.”
“We stand intently by Japan’s aspect in these tough hours,” mentioned German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, including that the assassination left him “shocked and deeply saddened.”
Australia, Sweden, France, Turkey and dozens of different nations additionally condemned the assassination.
Extremely unhappy information about Shinzo Abe.
His world management by means of unchartered occasions will probably be remembered by many. My ideas are together with his household, buddies and the Japanese individuals.
The UK stands with you at this darkish and unhappy time.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) July 8, 2022
Abe, who got here from a high-profile political household and resigned as prime minister in 2020 due to sickness, was shot at a marketing campaign occasion Friday, Japanese officers mentioned. Japan has among the many world’s strictest firearms legal guidelines, and gun violence there’s uncommon.
The 67-year-old had been giving a speech in Nara, close to Osaka, forward of elections for Japan’s higher home of parliament on Sunday. Movies confirmed a chaotic scene, with Abe, unmoving, mendacity on the bottom as attendees yelled for an ambulance.
Police arrested a suspect, a person from Nara in his 40s named Tetsuya Yamagami, and seized a gun. Yamagami was a member of the Japan Maritime Self-Protection Power for 3 years, protection officers advised Japanese media.
John Hudson in Nusa Dua, Indonesia; Grace Moon, Katerina Ang and Min Joo Kim in Seoul; Regine Cabato in Manila; Robyn Dixon in Riga, Latvia; Rick Noack in Paris and Eva Dou contributed to this report.
