OTTAWA –
The assassination of Japan’s longest-serving prime minister during a campaign speech is “terrifyingly disturbing” and calls for a pushback against growing violence and threats harming democracy, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
Abe was killed on Friday on a street in western Japan by a gunman who opened fire on him from behind while he was delivering a campaign speech, an attack that stunned the country, which has some of the strictest gun control laws anywhere.
Abe, 67, collapsed bleeding and was airlifted to a nearby hospital in Nara, about 500 kilometers west of Tokyo. He was pronounced dead after massive blood transfusions, officials said.
Trudeau, who sat with Abe at the G7 and G20 leaders’ tables from 2015 until Abe’s resignation in 2020, said Abe was a “great friend and partner of Canada.”
“I’ve known Shinzo for many years,” Trudeau said. “He was a thoughtful, compassionate, strong leader who understood the importance of service, understood the importance of building a better world, better opportunities for his citizens.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Jolie, attending the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Indonesia, said she conveyed Canada’s condolences to Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi.
Trudeau said the senseless death was compounded by the fact that it occurred while Abe was campaigning ahead of Japan’s upper house election next week. He said everyone must recommit to “the values and principles of democracy”, allowing for great debate and a diversity of viewpoints, but without the threat of violence and intimidation.
Security risks in Canadian politics have increased in recent years, most notably during the federal election campaign last fall, when the threat level against Trudeau rose so much that his security detail was greatly expanded.
Interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen said in a statement that Abe’s time in office “has been critical to strengthening Canada-Japan relations.”
“His legacy is one of commitment to regional prosperity and security, which is reflected in treaties such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which Canada and Japan are signatories to,” she said.
In a statement released by the White House, US President Joe Biden said he was “stunned, outraged and deeply saddened by the news that my friend Abe Shinzo, former Prime Minister of Japan, has been shot and killed while on the campaign trail.” .
“While there are many details we still don’t know, we do know that violent attacks are never acceptable and that gun violence always leaves a deep scar on the communities that are affected by it,” Biden said. “The United States stands with Japan at this time of grief. I send my deepest condolences to his family.”
The head of Nara Medical University’s emergency department, Hidetada Fukushima, said Abe suffered major heart damage, along with two neck wounds that damaged an artery. He never regained his vital signs, Fukushima said.
Nara prefectural police arrested the suspected gunman at the scene of the attack and identified him as Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, a former member of the Japanese navy. Broadcaster NHK reported that he said he wanted to kill Abe because he had grievances against him that were not related to politics.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his cabinet ministers returned to Tokyo from campaign events around the country after the shooting, which he called “vile and barbaric.” He vowed that the election, which elects members of Japan’s lower house of parliament, would go ahead as planned.
“I use the strongest words to condemn (the act),” Kishida said, struggling to control his emotions. He said the government planned to review the security situation, but added that Abe had the highest level of protection.
Although out of office, Abe still wielded great influence in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and headed its largest Seiwakai faction.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said “events like this shake us to our core”.
“He was one of the first leaders I met formally when I became prime minister. He was deeply committed to his role and also generous and kind. I remember him asking after the recent loss of our pet when I met him, a small gesture but one that spoke volumes for the kind of person he was,” she said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that he was “deeply saddened” by the attack on a “dear friend”.
Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong denounced it as a “senseless act of violence”.
“Mr Abe is a good friend of Singapore. I just hosted him for lunch in May, during my visit to Tokyo. My thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Abe and his family,” Lee said on Facebook.
The killing of @AbeShinzo is incredibly shocking – and I am deeply saddened. The world has lost a great man of vision and Canada has lost a close friend. My thoughts are with his wife Akie and the people of Japan as they mourn this loss. You will be missed my friend.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) July 8, 2022
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 8, 2022.
– With files from the Associated Press.
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