World leaders react to Shinzo Abe's assassination

Shinzo Abe
(Image credit: Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

Monarchs, presidents, and prime ministers around the world paid tribute to former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after he was assassinated Friday.

Abe died after being shot with a homemade firearm while campaigning for a candidate from his Liberal Democratic Party ahead of Sunday's parliamentary elections. Police have charged 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami with Abe's murder.

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President Biden said the long-serving prime minister's death was "a tragedy for Japan and for all who knew him." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered his "deepest condolences." French President Emmanuel Macron called Abe "a great prime minister" who "worked to bring balance to the world."

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared Saturday a national day of mourning for Abe, while Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailed him as "a giant on the world stage."

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Grayson Quay

Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-GazetteModern AgeThe American ConservativeThe Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.