Jul 8, 2022
By: BI India BureauFormer Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe passed away on Friday July 8, 2022 after he was shot at while addressing an election rally in Southern Japan.
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67-year-old ex-PM Abe hails from a political family. His grandfather Nobusuke Kishi was also a prime minister (1957-60), who was hosted by PM Jawaharlal Nehru in 1957. Abe was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister.
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UK’s former PM Boris Johnson said he was “utterly appalled” at the news. New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern was deeply shocked and called him generous and a kind person.
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India’s PM Narendra Modi said he was shocked and saddened beyond words at the tragic demise of one of his dearest friends. “He was a towering global statesman, an outstanding leader, and a remarkable administrator,” he tweeted.
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PM Modi also declared a day of national mourning tomorrow, July 9 over the death of Abe. Abe had a close relationship with India. He was the first Japanese PM to be the chief guest at India’s Republic Day parade in 2014.
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PM Modi chose Japan for his first bilateral visit outside the neighbourhood in September 2014 and Shinzo later upgraded it to ‘special strategic and global partnership.’ They discussed issues from civilian nuclear energy to bullet trains and infrastructure.
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Abe flew to Varanasi with PM Modi to witness Ganga aarti. In 2017, Abe visited Ahmedabad to lay the foundation of India's first bullet train.
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Abe was immediately airlifted after being shot and was taken to a hospital. He passed away hours after his condition was declared critical.
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The suspected attacker is reported to be Tetsuya Yamagami, according to news agency Reuters.
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Yamagami is allegedly a former member of a maritime self-defence force. He was arrested at the scene, reported Japanese media house NHK quoting police sources.
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