President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has signed the book of condolences, which was opened at the Embassy of Japan in the Maldives in memory of the late former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe.
In his message, President Solih described Shinzo Abe as an extraordinary and visionary leader who elevated Japan to new levels of development and prosperity on a global scale. President Solih also noted that he was cherished by the Maldivian people as he was a close friend and ally of the country.
Japan's longest-serving modern leader, Shinzo Abe was gunned down on July 8 during a campaign speech in the western city of Nara, in a killing that stunned a country where political violence and gun crime are rare. He was pronounced dead around five and a half hours after the shooting. An unemployed 41-year-old man has been identified by police as the suspect who opened fire on Abe.
Abe served two terms as prime minister and stepped down in 2020 citing ill health. But he had remained a dominant presence over the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), controlling one of its major factions. Abe hailed from a wealthy political family that included a foreign minister father and a grandfather who served as premier.