Leaders give their Condolences to Former Japanese Prime Minister

After the death of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who died Friday after being shot in the chest during an election campaign speech in the city of Nara in Japan, the U.S. political leaders and diplomats have expressed their condolences and remembered Abe’s contributions to advancing the Indo-Pacific strategy and forging the US-Japan alliance. 

 President Joe Biden tweeted Friday “America stands with Japan at this sad time.”

 Former U.S. President Donald Trump posted shortly after Abe’s assassination that “He is a true friend of mine, and more importantly, a friend of the United States. This is a huge blow to the Japanese people who love and admire him.”

 Kenneth R. Weinstein, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hudson Institute, who has had a personal friendship with Abe for many years, said Abe is “the most strategic leader of a major democracy since Reagan.”

 While mourning the death of Shinzo Abe, many members of the U.S. Congress also remembered his contributions in rallying allies against China’s threats. 

 In a tweet, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz wrote, “Abe was a great friend and ally to the US who stood up to the threats from the Chinese Communist Party & North Korea.”

 Rep. Dan Crenshaw tweeted, “Abe was a fighter who recognized the threat from China and demanded unity in standing up to it. He will be missed but never forgotten.”

 The United States, India and other countries lowered their national flags to half-staff in honor of Abe. TIME magazine has unveiled the cover of its forthcoming edition featuring Abe to remember the Japan’s longest-serving prime minister.

 Shinzo Abe’s assassination will change the world forever.