Tokyo, 9 July, /AJMEDIA/
Kishida, Biden hold phone talks following Abe’s death
TOKYO – Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had a telephone conversation with U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday, the day after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot dead in Japan during a stump speech.
Leaders around the world have expressed their condolences over the death of Abe, the country’s longest-serving prime minister who left office in 2020 following a nearly eight-year stint.
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Police struggle with mystery of Abe shooter’s motive
TOKYO – Japanese police on Saturday continued their efforts to clarify the motive of the man who shot dead former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe the previous day.
The police have quoted Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, as saying he had a grudge against a “specific organization” — possibly a religious group — that he believed was linked to Abe.
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U.S. stunned by death of Japan’s Abe, calls him champion of alliance
WASHINGTON – The U.S. government on Friday expressed deep sorrow over the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, deploring the loss of a “champion” of the alliance between the two countries and an architect of ideas now playing a key role in regional security.
“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,” President Joe Biden said in a statement, hours after Abe was gunned down during a stump speech in the western Japanese city of Nara.
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Former Japan PM Abe dies after being shot during election speech
NARA, Japan – Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, one of Japan’s most influential postwar leaders, died Friday at the age of 67 after being shot while delivering a stump speech in the western city of Nara two days ahead of a national election, stunning the world and drawing outrage against gun violence.
Japan’s longest-serving leader was shot at close range by a 41-year-old man who approached him from behind, wielding a homemade gun, as he was speaking in front of Kintetsu Railway’s Yamato-Saidaiji Station at around 11:30 a.m., local police said. Abe collapsed on the ground after two loud shots were heard and he was rushed to a hospital with blood seen on his white shirt.
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Preventing shootings difficult even in Japan with strict gun control
TOKYO – The assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a stump speech on Friday has highlighted the difficulty of preventing shooting incidents even in a country like Japan where gun control is strict compared with other nations such as the United States.
A number of shooting crimes have occurred in Japan within recent years, including those targeting politicians, and experts point out new technology such as 3-D printers that can produce homemade guns as a factor thwarting law enforcement efforts to crack down on all firearms.
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Leaders worldwide pay tribute to former Japan PM Abe
TOKYO – Leaders in the Asia-Pacific region expressed shock and outrage over the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who died Friday from gunshot wounds sustained during a stump speech in the western city of Nara.
“I am shocked and saddened beyond words at the tragic demise of one of my dearest friends, Shinzo Abe,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter. “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.”
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Japan, U.S., S. Korea vow to closely cooperate to counter N. Korea
NUSA DUA, Indonesia – Foreign ministers from Japan, the United States and South Korea agreed Friday the three nations will work together closely to deal with North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, including strengthening their regional deterrence.
They also exchanged views on China, which has been intensifying maritime assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that started in February, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference on the Indonesian island of Bali.
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Japan’s Hayashi asks S. Korea counterpart to work for improved ties
NUSA DUA, Indonesia – Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi asked his South Korean counterpart on Friday to work to improve Tokyo-Seoul relations as they remain strained over issues related to Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, including wartime labor issues.
Hayashi said at a press conference he had a brief conversation with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin on the sidelines of a two-day foreign ministerial meeting of the Group of 20 major economies from Thursday on the Indonesian island of Bali.
