WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and other U.S. leaders mourned the death of Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated Friday while delivering a campaign speech ahead of his country’s parliamentary elections.
“I am stunned, outraged, and deeply saddened by the news that my friend Abe Shinzo, former Prime Minister of Japan, was shot and killed while campaigning,” Biden said in a statement. “This is a tragedy for Japan and for all who knew him.”
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Biden said Friday that he did not believe the assassination would “have any profound destabilizing impact on Japanese security and Japanese solidarity.” The island nation remains a “very stable ally,” Biden said, adding that he would visit the Japanese Embassy in Washington to sign a condolence book.
