The Dalai Lama said he was “deeply saddened” to hear that his friend Abe’s death and appreciated his support of the efforts to preserve Buddhist cultural heritage and identity.
Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s shocking assassination on Friday stunned world leaders and drew condemnation, with Iran calling it an “act of terrorism” while Spain slammed the “cowardly attack.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Saturday as a one-day national mourning as a mark of the deepest respect for Abe.
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said he was “deeply saddened” to hear that his friend Abe’s death and appreciated his support of the efforts to preserve Buddhist cultural heritage and identity.
“I am deeply saddened to hear that my friend, Abe Shinzo (former Japanese PM) has passed away following a gunshot attack this morning. I pray for him and offer my condolences to you and members of your family,” news agency ANI quoted the Dalai Lama as saying.
“I very much appreciated his friendship and support of our efforts to preserve our rich Buddhist cultural heritage and identity,” the Dalai Lama said, noting, “Abe truly lived a meaningful life in the service of others.”
Click here for live updates on Shinzo Abe’s assassination
Abe, 67, was shot from behind in Nara in western Japan while giving a campaign speech. He was airlifted to a hospital but was not breathing and his heart had stopped. He was pronounced dead later at the hospital. Abe was Japan’s longest-serving leader before stepping down in 2020 for health reasons.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who hastily returned to Tokyo from campaign events around the country, called the shooting “dastardly and barbaric.”
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In mostly gun-free nation, Japanese stunned by Abe killing
Japan struggled with shock and sadness on Friday, trying to come to terms with the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a nation where firearms are strictly regulated and political violence extremely rare. Japan’s gun-ownership restrictions do not allow private citizens to have handguns, and licensed hunters may own only rifles. One person was killed and four wounded. Japan has had mass killings, but they usually have not involved guns.
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Shinzo Abe assassinated: Loss of blood caused ex-Japan PM’s death, says hospital
Former Japanese premier Shinzo Abe breathed his last nearly five hours after he was transported to the Nara Medical University after being shot at during election campaigning, the hospital said on Friday. Read Shinzo Abe, ex-Japan prime minister, assassinated “the ex-PM’s wife, Akie Abe, arrived at the hospital in the afternoon. The family has been informed about his death,”Fukushimaa informed the media. He had bullet wounds to his neck and chest.
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Russia city councillor jailed for 7 years for Ukraine criticism
A Moscow court on Friday sentenced a city councillor to seven years in prison for denouncing President Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine intervention, an AFP reporter said. Alexei Gorinov, 60 is the first elected member of the opposition to be sentenced to jail for criticising Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine. He spoke up against Moscow’s military intervention in Ukraine during a work meeting in March that was recorded on video and is available on YouTube.
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China warns US over ‘wanton provocation’, holds drills around Taiwan
A senior Chinese general warned his US counterpart that any “wanton” act of provocation will be met with “firm countermeasures” even as the Chinese military on Friday conducted large-scale drills around Taiwan in response to an American senator’s visit to the island. The drill appeared to be a warning to the US over senator Rick Scott’s three-day visit to Taiwan, during which he is expected to meet President Tsai Ing-wen.
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Who killed Abe and how former Japanese PM battled for life for hours? 10 points
Forner Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe died on Friday hours after Shinzo Abe was shot as he was campaigning for the election in Japan’s Nara by a 41-year-old man, Yamagami Tetsuya. Shinzo Abe was taken to the hospital at 12.20pm (local time) and was declared dead at 5.03pm. 67-year-old Shinzo Abe was shot from behind minutes after he started his speech. After two fire shots, Shinzo Abe collapsed and started bleeding, according to eyewitnesses.