World leaders stunned by murder
Japan’s Shinzo Abe killed while delivering speech
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Friday’s shocking assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in one of the world’s safest countries stunned leaders and drew condemnation, with Iran calling it an “act of terrorism” while European leaders slammed the “despicable” attack.
Tributes poured in as governments expressed sorrow and solidarity with Japan over the loss of Abe, who was Japan’s longest-serving leader before stepping down in 2020 for health reasons.
Abe, 67, was shot from behind in Nara in western Japan while giving a campaign speech. He was airlifted to a hospital and later pronounced dead.
U.S. President Joe Biden said he was “stunned, outraged, and deeply saddened” and offered his condolences to Abe’s family. Biden said Friday he would stop at the Japanese embassy in Washington en route to remarks at CIA headquarters to sign a condolence book.
“This is a tragedy for Japan and for all who knew him,” Biden said. “His vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific will endure. Above all, he cared deeply about the Japanese people and dedicated his life to their service.”
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who hastily returned to Tokyo from campaign events around the country, condemned the “unforgivable act.” He said campaigning as well as Sunday’s elections
for parliament’s upper house will proceed.
“The free and fair election, which is the root of democracy, needs to be protected no matter what. We will not be defeated by violence,” Kishida said.
Biden called Kishida “a very solid guy” and said he did not believe the killing was likely to have “any profound, destabilizing impact on Japanese security or Japanese solidarity.”
Leaders from Turkey to Singapore condemned the attack. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the French foreign ministry called the shooting “despicable,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “horrific” and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez “cowardly.”
“I have fond memories of meeting Mr. Abe and his wife during their visit to the United Kingdom in 2016,” Queen Elizabeth II said in a written statement. “His love for Japan, and his desire to forge evercloser bonds with the United Kingdom, were clear.”
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted his “deepest condolences to his family and the people of Japan at this difficult time.”
“This heinous act of violence has no excuse,” he added.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called the shooting “an intolerable criminal act,” his office said.
Iran decried the shooting as “an act of terrorism.”
“As a country that has been a victim of terrorism and has lost great leaders to terrorists, we are following the news closely and with concern,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
Public broadcaster NHK aired a dramatic video of Abe giving a speech outside a train station in Nara. He is standing, dressed in a navy blue suit, raising his fist, when two gunshots are heard. The video then shows Abe collapsed on the street.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II said he was shocked and saddened by the attack. “The world lost a great leader, and Jordan and I lost a true friend,” the monarch tweeted.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern expressed her shock about the shooting. She said Abe was one of the first leaders she met after taking office and described him as deeply committed to his role, generous and kind.
“I recall him asking after the recent loss of our pet when I met him, a small gesture but one that speaks to the kind of person he is,” Ardern said. “Events like this shake us all to the core.”
In the NHK video, security guards are seen leaping on top of a man in a grey shirt who lies face down on the pavement. A double-barreled device that appeared to be a handmade gun is seen on the ground.