Eugene Hoshiko / AP
Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was making a campaign speech when he was shot and diagnosed with heart failure (file photo).
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was shocked when she landed back in New Zealand to inform Shinzo Abe, the former Prime Minister of Japan. had been shot†
“I was deeply shocked,” she said. “He was one of the first leaders I formally met when I became Prime Minister. He was very committed to his role, as well as being generous and kind.
“I remember him asking about the recent loss of our pet when I met him, a small gesture that speaks to the kind of person he is.
“My thoughts are with his wife and the people of Japan. Events like this shake us all to the bone.”
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† Ex-Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida to be next Prime Minister
† Abe Shinzo’s legacy is more impressive than his muted exit suggests
Abe was gunned down Friday during a campaign speech in western Japan.
He was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister.
Witnesses at the speech told local news agency NHK that they heard two shots and saw a large gun at the scene.
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Police on Friday inspect the site where former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was shot dead in Nara, western Japan.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters that police arrested the suspected gunman at the scene.
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