Shinzo Abe shooting: World leaders react to assassination of former Japanese PM
By Michelle Ewing and Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
TOKYO — Shinzo Abe, the former Japanese prime minister, died Friday after he was shot and critically wounded during a campaign speech in western Japan, according to public broadcaster NHK. Hospital officials also confirmed his death, The Associated Press reported.
President Joe Biden released a statement Friday morning saying, “I am stunned, outraged, and deeply saddened by the news that my friend Abe Shinzo, former Prime Minister of Japan, was shot and killed while campaigning. This is a tragedy for Japan and for all who knew him,” Reuters reported.
“Even at the moment he was attacked, he was engaged in the work of democracy.”
White House spokesperson
“We are shocked and saddened to hear about the violent attack against former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe,” a White House spokesperson said, according to Reuters. “We are closely monitoring the reports and keeping our thoughts with his family and the people of Japan.”
Former U.S. President Donald Trump
“This is a tremendous blow to the wonderful people of Japan, who loved and admired him so much,” former U.S. President Donald Trump said in a post on his social media app, according to the AP. “We are all praying for Shinzo and his beautiful family!”
Trump also called Abe “a true friend of mine and, much more importantly, America,” as well as “a truly great man and leader,” the AP reported.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama
Former President Barack Obama said he was “shocked and saddened” by Abe’s assassination, calling the former prime minister a “friend and longtime partner.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida described Abe as “a personal friend, with whom I spent a lot of time,” according to CNN. Kishida also offered condolences and said he has “great respect for the legacy (Abe) left behind,” the news outlet reported.
French President Emmanuel Macron
“Japan has lost a great prime minister, who dedicated his life to his country and worked to ensure order in the world,” French President Emmanuel Macron said, according to Reuters.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson
Former British Prime Minister Theresa May
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott
Chinese Embassy in Japan
“Former Prime Minister Abe made contributions towards improving China-Japan relations during his term,” said a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Japan, according to Reuters. “We express our condolences on his death and send our sympathies to his family.”
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi
“Italy is shocked by this terrible attack, which hits Japan and free democratic debate,” Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said, according to Reuters. “Abe was a great protagonist of Japanese and international political life in recent decades, thanks to his innovative spirit and his reforming vision. Italy sends its condolences to his family, to the government and to the entire Japanese people.”
South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol
“I send my condolences to the bereaved families and Japanese people who have lost the longest-serving prime minister and respected politician in Japan’s constitutional history,” South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol said in a statement, according to Reuters.
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson
Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen
“Not only has the international community lost an important leader, but Taiwan has also lost an important and close friend,” Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said in a statement, according to Reuters. “Taiwan and Japan are both democratic countries with the rule of law, and our government severely condemns violent and illegal acts.”
Photos: Shinzo Abe through the years Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan, has died after he was shot during a campaign speech on Friday, July 8, 2022, Japanese public broadcaster NHK is reporting. Here are some memorable moments from his career. (Franck Robichon - Pool/Getty Images)
Photos: Shinzo Abe through the years 2006: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, left, meets with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Abe's office in Tokyo, Thursday, Oct. 19, 2006. (AP Photo/Yoshikazu Tsuno, POOL)
Photos: Shinzo Abe through the years 2007: In this April 27, 2007, file photo, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, and President Bush, right, attend a joint news conference at Camp David, Md. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)
Photos: Shinzo Abe through the years 2010: Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, right, greets former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the presidential office in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2010. (AP Photo/Sun Chung-ta/Pool)
Photos: Shinzo Abe through the years 2012: Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, joins hands with a contender Shigeru Ishiba after winning the party leadership election of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)
Photos: Shinzo Abe through the years 2013: President Barack Obama shakes hands with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Photos: Shinzo Abe through the years 2013: U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe smile together during a joint press conference following their meeting at Abe's official residence in Tokyo, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
Photos: Shinzo Abe through the years 2014: Adm. Samuel Locklear, left, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, poses with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for photos at the start of their meeting at the latter's official residence in Tokyo, Monday, Feb. 3, 2014. (AP Photo/Kimimasa Mayama, Pool)
Photos: Shinzo Abe through the years 2015: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reacts as his papers are blown into the air in a gust of wind during his joint news conference with President Barack Obama, Tuesday, April 28, 2015, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Photos: Shinzo Abe through the years 2016: Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe visits with some of his country's Olympians at the Japan House at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Photos: Shinzo Abe through the years 2017: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrives for a working session with outreach countries and international organizations, at the G7 Summit, Saturday, May 27, 2017, in Taormina, Italy. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool)
Photos: Shinzo Abe through the years 2018: President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shakes hands during a news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Thursday, June 7, 2018. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Photos: Shinzo Abe through the years 2019: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, right, is escorted to review an honor guard ahead of the Japan Self-Defense Forces senior officers' gathering at Defense Ministry in Tokyo, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2019. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Photos: Shinzo Abe through the years 2020: Japan's outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe waves before leaving the prime minister's office Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Photos: Shinzo Abe through the years 2021: Former Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, center, wearing a face mask, arrives at the National Theatre of Japan to attend the national memorial service for the victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Tokyo, Thursday, March 11, 2021. (Rodrigo Reyes Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
Photos: Shinzo Abe through the years 2022: Former Japanese prime ministers Shinzo Abe, left, and Yoshihide Suga speak as current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delivering his policy speech at the lower house Monday, Jan. 17, 2022, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Photos: Shinzo Abe, former Japanese prime minister, shot during campaign speech People react after gunfire erupted in Nara, western Japan, Friday, July 8, 2022. Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in heart failure after apparently being shot during a campaign speech Friday in western Japan, NHK public television said Friday. (Kyodo News via AP)
Photos: Shinzo Abe, former Japanese prime minister, shot during campaign speech In this image from a video, Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe makes a campaign speech in Nara, western Japan, shortly before he was shot Friday, July 8, 2022. (Kyodo News via AP)
Photos: Shinzo Abe, former Japanese prime minister, shot during campaign speech Police inspect the site where Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot in Nara, western Japanm Friday, July 8, 2022. (Kyodo News via AP)
Photos: Shinzo Abe, former Japanese prime minister, shot during campaign speech People react after gunshots in Nara, western Japan, Friday, July 8, 2022. Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in heart failure after apparently being shot during a campaign speech Friday in western Japan, NHK public television said Friday. (Kyodo News via AP)
Photos: Shinzo Abe, former Japanese prime minister, shot during campaign speech Investigators work near the site of gunshots in Nara, western Japan, Friday, July 8, 2022. Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in heart failure after apparently being shot during a campaign speech Friday in western Japan, NHK public television said Friday. (Kyodo News via AP)
Photos: Shinzo Abe, former Japanese prime minister, shot during campaign speech This photo shows the hospital where Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was transported in Kashihara, Nara prefecture, western Japan, Friday, July 8, 2022. (Kyodo News via AP)
Photos: Shinzo Abe, former Japanese prime minister, shot during campaign speech In this image from a video, a man, center, is detained near the site of gunshots in Nara, western Japan, Friday, July 8, 2022. Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot during a campaign speech Friday in western Japan and was airlifted to a hospital, but he was not breathing and his heart had stopped, officials said. (Kyodo News via AP)
Photos: Shinzo Abe, former Japanese prime minister, shot during campaign speech In this image from a video, Tetsuya Yamagami is detained near the site of gunshots in Nara, western Japan, Friday, July 8, 2022. Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot and critically wounded during a campaign speech Friday in western Japan. He was airlifted to a hospital, but officials said he was not breathing and his heart had stopped. (Kyodo News via AP)
Photos: Shinzo Abe, former Japanese prime minister, shot during campaign speech An employee distributes extra editions of the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reporting on Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot, Friday, July 8, 2022, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Photos: Shinzo Abe, former Japanese prime minister, shot during campaign speech Employees prepare to distribute extra editions of the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reporting on Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot, Friday, July 8, 2022, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Photos: Shinzo Abe, former Japanese prime minister, shot during campaign speech Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to media at the prime minister's official residence Friday, July 8, 2022, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)