Japanese Prime Minister (PM) Fumio Kishida condemned the assassination of former PM Shinzo Abe, calling it an “outrageous” and “despicable” act.
Kishida said in his statement that Abe’s shooting, which was “carried out in the middle of an election, the very basis of democracy,” was “absolutely intolerable.” “I condemn it in the strongest possible terms,” he said.
Hailing Abe’s legacy, which lasted for over eight and a half years, the longest in the country’s constitutional history, Kishida praised the late leader for his contribution to domestic politics and the country’s foreign, defence, and economic policies. To this end, he highlighted Abe’s contribution to the reconstruction work from the Great East Japan Earthquake, helping the country beat “long-term deflation,” working towards realising a Free and Open Indo-Pacific, and strengthening Japan’s partnership with the United States (US).
🇯🇵 Japan
— TYPXA ⚡ Middle East (@middleeasttime) July 8, 2022
Shinzo Abe with his supporters before the attack.pic.twitter.com/07AbFKSRjn
“It is extremely unfortunate that in this way we have lost a great politician who loved this country and was always examining the era one step into the future, and who in various areas left major achievements intended to carve out the future of this nation.” Kishida said during a press conference on Friday.
Japan’s 67-year-old former PM died on Friday after succumbing to a close-range gunshot wound. Local police reported that the politician, who had been campaigning in Nara for an upcoming Upper House election, was shot around 11:30 a.m. by a 41-year-old man with a homemade gun. Abe was then rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:03 p.m.
In a press conference, Hidetada Fukushima, a doctor with the Nara Medical University Hospital said that the bullet reached the heart and said medical experts believe the cause of Abe’s death to be blood loss. Despite being given emergency treatment, “there was bleeding from various places and it could not be stopped completely. Unfortunately, his heartbeat did not resume,” the doctor told the media.
I was deeply saddened to learn of the assassination of Mr Shinzo Abe, former Prime Minister of Japan. I offer my heartfelt condolences to his family, friends & the people of Japan. I pray Japanese society will be strengthened in its historic commitment to peace and nonviolence.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) July 9, 2022
The police announced that they had arrested Nara resident Tetsuya Yamagami in connection with the assassination. According to government records, Yamagami, who admitted to the crime, was a member of the country’s Maritime Self-Defense Force for about three years. Yamagami said that he held a grudge against a “specific organisation” that he believed to be linked with the longtime leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The police have not publicly identified the group and little else is known of the assailant’s motives.
Reporting on the incident, Japan Today hailed the late leader as “one of Japan’s most influential postwar leaders.” The incident has also sent shockwaves beyond Japan’s national borders, drawing reactions of shock and sadness from international leaders.
United States (US) President Joe Biden said he was “stunned, outraged, and deeply saddened.” “This is a tragedy for Japan and for all who knew him. 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,” Biden said. The United Nations (UN) Security Council, meanwhile, offered a silent tribute to the leader and the council’s current president, Brazilian Ambassador Ronaldo Costa Filho, expressed the international community’s “sadness and shock at the senseless assassination.”
I am shocked and saddened beyond words at the tragic demise of one of my dearest friends, Shinzo Abe. He was a towering global statesman, an outstanding leader, and a remarkable administrator. He dedicated his life to make Japan and the world a better place.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 8, 2022
Indian PM Narendra Modi penned an article on his personal website titled “My Friend, Abe San,” in which he hailed the former PM as “an outstanding leader of Japan, a towering global statesman, and a great champion of India-Japan friendship.” “Japan and the world have lost a great visionary. And, I have lost a dear friend,” he said. Modi went on to say that Abe had “made an immense contribution to elevating India-Japan relations to the level of a Special Strategic and Global Partnership.” He also highlighted his instrumental and visionary role in forming the Quad with Australia and the US.
“Today, whole India mourns with Japan and we stand in solidarity with our Japanese brothers and sisters in this difficult moment,” he added in a statement released on Twitter.
The incident has also re-drawn international attention to gun violence, especially given that the Asian nation is known to have one of the strictest gun control legislation in the world. In fact, just one person died from gun violence in Japan in all of 2021.
Meanwhile, Kishida urged the country to carry on conducting “free and fair elections, which are the basis of democracy,” and “must be fully defended no matter what.”
“Under our resolute determination never to yield to violence, we will proceed with our election activities tomorrow as originally scheduled. I want us to continue to appeal directly to the public about these matters in our own voices right up until the last second of the election campaign,” he stressed.