FOG BLOG WORLD NEWS LOG: HORRIFYING ASSASINATION OF PM SHINZO ABE , FRIEND TO CANADA AND U.S.!

World leaders horrified by Abe killing, Japanese leader remembered as a 'giant on the world stage' 'Canada has lost a close friend,' Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says The assassination of Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in one of the world's safest countries stunned leaders and drew condemnation from around the globe in the strongest terms.

Abe, 67, was shot from behind in Nara in western Japan while giving a campaign speech. He was airlifted to a hospital but was not breathing and his heart had stopped. He was pronounced dead later at the hospital.

Abe was Japan's longest-serving leader, having served four terms in office before stepping down in 2020 for health reasons.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who hastily returned to Tokyo from campaign events around the country, called the shooting "dastardly and barbaric." Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Abe a "dedicated, visionary leader" and said he was "incredibly shocked and deeply saddened" to learn of the assassination.

"Canada condemns in the strongest terms this egregious attack and stands with the people of Japan in this difficult time," he said in a statement.