DILI, 08 july 2022 (TATOLI) – Timorese Prime Minister, Taur Matan Ruak expressed condolences over the demise of the former Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe.
“It was with great sadness and shock that learned of the fatal shooting of the former Japanese Prime Minister Mr. Shinzo Abe while campaigning in the City of Nara, Japan,” said Ruak in a statement released on friday.
Timor-Leste’s Head of Government conveys his Deepest Condolences to the family of Mr. Shinzo Abe and stands in solidarity with the People and the Government of Japan.
Prime Minister Ruak, while the Head of State, visited Japan on March 15, 2016, he met with then Prime Minister Mr. Shinzo Abe: “It is a sad day for the Asia Pacific.”
During the visit, Ruak and Abe had a fruitful exchange of views on the relationship between Japan and Timor-Leste. Both leaders reaffirmed that sharing fundamental values such as democracy, freedom, and the rule of law constitutes a significant foundation of bilateral relations between TL and Japan.
Shinzo Abe, 67, dies after being shot while giving a speech during a political campaign two days ahead of a national election.
He was Japan’s longest-serving leader before stepping down for health reasons in 2020.
Kyodo News reported that Japan’s longest-serving leader was shot by a 41-year-old man from behind at around 11:30 a.m. when he was speaking in front of Kintetsu Railway’s Yamato-Saidaiji Station.
Kyodo News said Abe was rushed to the Nara Medical University Hospital and pronounced dead at 5:03 pm.
Shinzo Abe was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and the President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2006-2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. After many years of leading the country, Abe is known as the longest-serving Prime Minister in Japanese history.
Born into a prominent political family, Abe was elected to the House of Representatives in the 1993 election and was appointed by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi as the Chief Cabinet Secretary in September 2005.
Shinzo Abe was also confirmed as Japan’s youngest Post-war prime minister and the first to have been born after World War II. He resigned as prime minister after one year in office, because of medical complications from ulcerative colitis.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges
