In recent months, Elon Musk has been able to extend his growing influence beyond Silicon Valley and Wall Street.
Tesla’s (TSLA) – Get Tesla Inc. Report The billionaire CEO and his 100.6 million Twitter followers have become some of the most influential voices in the world. This power Musk uses to shine a spotlight on problems undermining society and on issues he feels are urgent to resolve or discuss.
And Musk’s concerns know no bounds. He did not hesitate to intervene in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, demonstrating support for Ukraine. Musk has publicly backed Kyiv, paving the way for other business bosses. He also issued a challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin that did not escape social media giant Meta Platforms (META) – Get Meta Platforms Inc. Report, the parent company of Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg’s group, usually measured and reluctant to meddle in geopolitics, has not hesitated to crack down on Russia and Russian entities.
Musk just confirmed his unofficial title of global CEO by reacting to the July 8 assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, 67. He was shot in the back while speaking at a campaign rally in the western city of Nara.
“terrible news”
“Terrible news,” Musk wrote on Twitter, commenting on a message from a Tesla board member about Shinzo Abe’s death. The member wrote: “What a tragedy for his family, the Japanese people and democracy…..Black, black day.”
Shinzo Abe’s body arrived July 9 at his home in Tokyo aboard a hearse along with his wife Akie, who had left the hospital in Kashihara near Nara at dawn, where the former prime minister was taken after the attack.
Hit by two bullets in the neck, he was pronounced dead several hours later, despite the efforts of a team of 20 doctors, Japanese authorities said. Security was present at the event where Abe was shot, but it was easy for spectators to get close to Abe, local media reported.
Japan has one of the strictest gun control laws in the world, and the number of people killed by gunfire is extremely low.
Scroll to Continue
The world is in shock
According to local media, the wake is scheduled for the evening of July 11, and the funeral will take place on July 12, with only Abe’s family and relatives attending.
The death of Shinzo Abe shocked Japan. The killing was condemned around the world, with US President Joe Biden saying he was “stunned, outraged and deeply saddened” and French leader Emmanuel Macron paying tribute to “a great prime minister who dedicated his life to his country and worked to balance the world”.
China and South Korea, with which Japan often has volatile relations, also expressed their condolences. Chinese President Xi Jinping said he was “deeply saddened by this sudden death”.
Abe, heir to a political dynasty, holds the record for longest tenure as Japan’s prime minister, which he held from 2006-2007 and then again from 2012 to 2020.
Both a nationalist and a pragmatist, he made an impression with his bold economic policy, dubbed “Abenomics,” combining massive fiscal stimulus with ultra-accommodative monetary policy.
Abe also advocated for a Japan free of its militaristic past and dreamed of revising Japan’s pacifist 1947 constitution, written by the American occupiers and never changed since.
He was forced to resign for health reasons, but remained very influential.
Musk, who is passionate about technological innovation and wants to be remembered as the most innovative boss of our time, is an observer from Japan. He recently hailed the country’s rail power.
Add Comment