Nearly a dozen world leaders lamented this Friday the "atrocious" assassination of former prime Japanese Minister Shinzo Abe and have asserted that it is a "irreparable loss" in a moment "dark and sad" for society.
The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has conveyed his condolences to the family of the former president and has condemned that "a criminal has shortened the life of a flamboyant statesman who led the Japanese government for a long time and achieved great development for relations between the two countries".
The president has thus indicated that Moscow "had regular contacts with Abe, in which his personal and professional qualities were fully manifested"according to a Telegram message, collected by the Kremlin.
"The memory of this wonderful person He will forever remain in the hearts of the people who knew him. I hope a lot of fortune and courage to his family in the face of this difficulty and this irreparable loss."he has asserted.
British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has said he feels "incredibly sad" by the news from Japan about the death of Abe, who was fatally shot during a campaign rally in the town of Nara, located in the south-west of the country.
"His global leadership in difficult times will be remembered by many. My thoughts are with his family, his friends and the Japanese people. UK is with you right now dark and sad"has underlined in a message broadcast through his Twitter account.
Utterly appalled and saddened to hear about the despicable attack on Shinzo Abe. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones of him.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) July 8, 2022
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has offered his condolences on behalf of the French people and has indicated that "Japan loses a great politician, who dedicated his life to his country and worked to achieve balance in the world".
For his part, the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has expressed his "sadness" Y "shock" for Abe’s death and has expressed his "deepest solidarity" with his family, the Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, and "our japanese friends". "We are together with Japan in these difficult hours"he has pointed out.
They are joined by the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who has described what happened as "tragic" and has remembered that Abe was "a dear friend". "He was a global statesman, an outstanding leader and an extraordinary administrator. He dedicated his life to making Japan and the world a better place."has highlighted.
The Indian president has proposed establishing a day of national mourning this Saturday, July 9, and has emphasized that Abe contributed to "big measure" a "improve the relationship between Japan and India". "Today all of India mourns with Japan and shows solidarity with Japanese brothers and sisters at this very difficult time"has added.
"During my recent visit to Japan I had the opportunity to meet Abe. (…) he has always been witty and insightful. I didn’t know that this was going to be our last meeting"he lamented.
The South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has also conveyed his condolences to the family and the Japanese people who has lost "to a respected politician", while his Romanian counterpart, Klaus Iohannis, has described Abe as a "defender of democracy and multilateralism, as well as a great friend".
The Turkish head of state, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has made similar statements and has condemned the "heinous attack" that has ended the life of a "Dear friend"a few words that have come before the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, pointed out that "Abe was one of Australia’s greatest friends internationally".
For his part, Israeli President Isaac Herzog has rated Abe as "one of the most influential leaders in the modern world", a condemnation to which has been added that of the Indonesian Government -which is currently hosting the G20 ministerial meeting in Bali-, which has transferred its "deepest condolences" to the Japanese people and government.
