Biden orders U.S flags flown at half-staff to honor Japan's Abe

U.S. President Joe Biden walks to board Marine One for a trip to Ohio on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 6, 2022. REUTERS/Sarah Silbiger

President Joe Biden said on Friday he had ordered U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff through July 10 to honor Shinzo Abe after the former Japanese prime minister was gunned down while campaigning for a parliamentary election.

Abe "was a proud servant of the Japanese people and a faithful friend to the United States," Biden said in statement. "Even in the moment he was attacked and killed, he was engaged in the work of democracy, to which he dedicated his life."

(Reporting by Chris Gallagher; Editing br Rami Ayyub)