Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a man I counted as both a powerful comrade and a friend, passed away on Friday just five hours after news first broke that he had been shot.
I have never been more shocked in my life. The suspect reportedly confessed that his motive was not a grudge against Shinzo¡¯s political creed, although the truth is unknown.
Within half a day after the attack, I received a great number of emails from friends and acquaintances overseas expressing their shock of losing such a dear friend ¡ª a man who helped foster stronger ties with Japan and who also promoted a sense of security in a turbulent world.
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