Tricolour Flies At Half-mast
India Mourns Shinzo Abe: The national tricolor at the Red Fort, Rashtrapati Bhavan and Parliament House was flown at half-mast on Saturday to mark a day of state mourning declared in the country in honor of former Japan PM Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated on Friday.
Abe was shot Friday in the western Japanese city of Nara while delivering a campaign speech.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the tragic death of Abe and said in a tweet: “As a mark of our deep respect for former Prime Minister #ShinzoAbe, a one-day national mourning will be observed on 9th July 2022.”
PM Modi wrote, “I am shocked and saddened by the sad demise of one of my dearest friends, Shinzo Abe. He was a great global statesman, an outstanding leader and a remarkable administrator. He dedicated his life to making Japan given and the world a better place.”
In a blog post titled “My friend, Abe san”, PM Modi wrote, “In Abe’s passing, Japan and the world have lost a great visionary. And, I have lost a dear friend.”
He referred to him as “San” which means “beloved” and said that he met Abe in 2007.
“I first met Abe San in 2007 and since then, we have had many memorable conversations. I will cherish each and every one of them. Abe San energized India-Japan relations. He ensured that the New India was formed. In form Japan is side by side. Development,” wrote PM Modi.
After the attack on him, Abe was taken to hospital and initial media reports, citing officials, appeared to have shot the former Japanese PM in the chest. They described her condition as “cardiopulmonary arrest” and said she showed no significant signs.
Public broadcaster NHK later reported, citing sources in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, that Abe had died. According to officials at Nara Medical University Hospital, Abe died at 5:03 p.m. (local time) and was hit by two bullets in his neck.
According to local media, Japanese police have arrested a suspect identified as Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, a resident of the city of Nara. A hand-crafted gun was recovered from a site where Abe was campaigning for a candidate ahead of Sunday’s election to the upper house of parliament in Japan.
Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, stepped down in 2020 citing health reasons. He was the Prime Minister of Japan twice, from 2006–07 and again from 2012–20. He was succeeded by Yoshihide Suga and later by Fumio Kishida.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in his live address to the nation yesterday, “This is not an forgivable act,” and that officials “will take appropriate measures to handle the situation.”
PM Kishida further said that the motive behind the shooting of Abe is not known. The media outlet also reported, citing government sources, that the shooting suspect is a former member of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces. India Mourns Shinzo Abe…
