Ex Japan PM passes away, PM Modi and other Indian politicians’ express grief

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was on Friday confirmed dead after he was shot at during a campaign speech in Nara City, western Japan, local media reported citing officials.

"Officials say former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has been confirmed dead. He was reportedly shot during a speech on Friday in the city of Nara, near Kyoto," Japanese media outlet NHK tweeted on its official Twitter handle. Liberal Democratic Party sources also confirmed the same, Kyoto news agency reported.

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PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi and other Indian politicians express grief

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said that he is "deeply shocked" by the news about the attack on former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a campaign event in western Japan and prayed for his recovery.

Rahul Gandhi also took to his Twitter handle and wrote, "Shocked to hear the news of the attack on former PM of Japan, Shinzo Abe, who has been instrumental in deepening Indo-Japanese ties. Prayers for his recovery. My thoughts are with his family."

"Deeply saddened by the assassination of former Prime Minister of Japan #ShinzoAbe. India has lost a close friend who assiduously worked towards strengthening the bilateral relations between India and Japan, during his tenure as Prime Minister": Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted.

-PTC News