Status: 08.07.2022 5:12 p.m
The assassination of Japan’s ex-Prime Minister Abe has sparked grief and horror around the world. US President Biden spoke of a “tragedy for Japan”. Chancellor Scholz said he was stunned and deeply saddened. Many paid tribute to Abe’s political achievements.
News of the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent shock waves across the country. Japan is considered one of the safest in the world and has one of the strictest gun laws.
He condemned the act “strongly,” said Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who was visibly struggling for composure: “I have no words. I express my sincere condolences and pray that his soul may rest in peace.” Kishida immediately canceled a campaign appearance in northern Yamagata Prefecture and returned to Tokyo by helicopter. “It is an attack on parliamentary democracy and cannot be tolerated,” said House Speaker Hiroyuki Hosoda.
The opposition also condemned the attack, which shook Japan two days before elections to the upper house of parliament. “Violence against political activity is absolutely unacceptable,” said a representative of the Japanese Communist Party, for which Abe’s nationalist policies have always been a red rag.
The act also caused horror in the rest of the world. The Chinese embassy in Japan said it was “shocked”. “During his tenure, former Premier Abe contributed to the improvement and advancement of China-Japan relations,” said an embassy spokesman. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke of a “brutal and cowardly murder.” EU Council President Charles Michel said: “Japan, the Europeans mourn with you.”
Stoltenberg is deeply saddened
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was concerned about Abe’s death. “Deeply saddened by the heinous murder of Shinzo Abe, a defender of democracy and my longtime friend and colleague,” the former Norwegian Prime Minister wrote on Twitter. “My deepest condolences to his family and the people of NATO partner Japan at this difficult time.”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz was dismayed at the violent death of Japan’s former prime minister. “The fatal assassination attempt on Shinzo Abe leaves me stunned and deeply saddened,” Scholz wrote on Twitter.
Close German-Japanese relationship
Former Chancellor Angela Merkel, who met Abe at many international conferences, wrote on her website: “Japan and the world are losing a great statesman with Shinzo Abe. (…) His word carried weight. His decisions were reliable. His humor helped to overcome resistance. He was a close colleague and friend to me. We were always guided by the common goal of mastering the great challenges of our time both in our bilateral relations and between Japan and the European Union as well as multilaterally in partnership”. German-Japanese relations became even closer during his tenure.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was also dismayed. “I am shocked by the news that Shinzo Abe has been gunned down,” the Greens politician said on Twitter. “My thoughts are with him and his family,” the message, written in English, continued. Baerbock is currently at the G20 foreign ministers meeting in Bali.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also expressed deep sadness and concern there. “Our thoughts, our prayers are with him, with his family, with the people of Japan,” said Blinken, according to the New York Times.
Biden: “Tragedy for Japan”
US President Joe Biden condemned the assassination attempt on Abe: “I am stunned, outraged and deeply saddened by the news that my friend Shinzo Abe was shot dead while campaigning. This is a tragedy for Japan and for everyone who knew him”, said in a statement.
Even the moment he was attacked, he was pro-democracy. While we don’t yet know many of the details, we know that violent attacks are never acceptable and that gun violence always leaves a deep scar. The United States stands with Japan in this moment of mourning. I offer my deepest condolences to his family.
Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote in a telegram released by the Kremlin: “The hand of a criminal ended the life of an outstanding statesman.” He also spoke of a “serious, irreplaceable loss”. Abe was an “outstanding statesman” who did a lot for the development of “good neighborly relations between our countries”.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said Abe is not only her good friend but also Taiwan’s closest friend who has supported the island’s democratic republic for years, Tsai wrote on Facebook. The former head of government spared no effort to promote relations between the two countries.
Bach: “A man who kept his word”
IOC President Thomas Bach expressed his condolences to the family and the Japanese people. Abe was a man “with a vision, full of determination and boundless energy to realize his vision”. “What I appreciated most about him was that he was a man of his word,” Bach continued. It was only thanks to his vision, determination and reliability that the unprecedented decision to postpone the Tokyo Olympics by one year to 2021 due to the corona pandemic could be made.
As a sign of appreciation by the IOC, the Olympic flag will be flown at half-mast for three days at the Olympic House in Lausanne.
On the way to a campaign speech
Abe was on his way to give a campaign speech in the city of Nara when an assailant fired shots at him. Despite blood transfusions, the doctors at the hospital were only able to determine that the politician had died. Abe ruled Japan from December 2012 to September 2020, making him the country’s longest-serving prime minister.
Portrait of Shinzo Abe
Kathrin Erdmann, ARD Tokyo, July 8, 2022 11:03 a.m