Live updates: Shinzo Abe shot dead in Japan

Tributes to Shinzo Abe have continued to pour in from politicians around the globe, a lot of whom recalled their visits with the previous chief and expressed their shock at his killing.

French President Emmanuel Macron mentioned “Japan has misplaced an incredible prime minister.”

“On behalf of the French folks, I ship my condolences to the Japanese authorities and other people after the assassination of Shinzo Abe. Japan has misplaced an incredible Prime Minister, who devoted his life to his nation and labored to convey stability to the world,” Macron tweeted.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken referred to as Abe’s assassination “surprising,” and praised Abe as “a frontrunner with nice imaginative and prescient” and an “extraordinary accomplice,” who took US-Japanese relations “to new heights.”

“It’s profoundly disturbing in and of itself, it’s additionally such a robust private loss for thus many individuals,” Blinken mentioned Friday.

Plenty of former leaders who labored with Abe throughout his time as Japanese prime minister additionally supplied their condolences.

Former British Prime Minister David Cameron mentioned Abe was “an excellent good friend personally, a robust accomplice to the UK, and a totally sort and first rate man.” He referred to as his dying “devastating and actually surprising.”

Israel’s ex-leader Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned he “will at all times bear in mind Shinzo Abe and cherish our deep friendship,” whereas Nicolas Sarkozy, the previous French prime minister, referred to as him “an incredible chief who left his mark on Japan.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau referred to as Abe’s dying “extremely surprising,” including that he was “deeply saddened.” Trudeau tweeted, “The world has misplaced an incredible man of imaginative and prescient, and Canada has misplaced a detailed good friend. My ideas are together with his spouse, Akie, and the folks of Japan as they mourn this loss. You’ll be missed, my good friend.”

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro referred to as Abe “an excellent chief” in a tweet Friday. “I obtain with excessive indignation and grief the information of the dying of @AbeShinzo, an excellent chief who was an incredible good friend of Brazil. I prolong to Abe’s household, in addition to to our Japanese brothers, my solidarity and my want that God watch over their souls on this second of ache,” he mentioned.

UN Secretary Common António Guterres tweeted his condolences over Abe’s assassination. “I’m deeply saddened by the horrific killing of Shinzo Abe, former Prime Minister of Japan,” Guterres mentioned. “I had the privilege of realizing him for years & will at all times bear in mind his collegiality & dedication to multilateralism. My condolences to his household, and the folks & Authorities of Japan.”