The Bhutanese Leading the way.
A release from the Foreign Ministry said Bhutan will observe a day of national mourning on 9th July 2022 in honour of the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
All national flags across the country and Bhutan’s Embassies, Missions, and Consulates abroad will fly at half-mast.
Former Prime Minister Abe died in hospital on 8th July after he was shot by a gunman during a campaign speech in Nara, near Kyoto.
He was 67 and Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister.
Bhutan and Japan enjoy close bonds of friendship, and Japan is an important development partner of Bhutan.
According to Reuters Shinzo Abe, died on Friday hours after he was shot while campaigning for a parliamentary election.
A man opened fire on Abe, 67, from behind with an apparently homemade gun as he spoke in the western city of Nara, Japanese media reported.
It was the first assassination of a sitting or former Japanese premier since the 1930s.
The hospital that tried to save him said he died at 5:03 p.m. (0803 GMT), about five and a half hours after he was shot. A doctor said Abe had bled to death from two deep wounds, one on the right side of his neck. He had no vital signs when he was brought in.
Speaking before Abe’s death was announced, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned the shooting in the “strongest terms” while Japanese people and world leaders expressed shock.
“This attack is an act of brutality that happened during the elections – the very foundation of our democracy – and is absolutely unforgivable,” said Kishida, struggling to keep his emotions in check.
A fire department official had said Abe appeared to be in a state of cardiac arrest when airlifted to hospital.
According to Reuters the 41-year-old man suspected of carrying out the shooting had been arrested. NHK quoted the suspect, identified as Tetsuya Yamagami, as telling police he was dissatisfied with Abe and wanted to kill him.
Abe was making a campaign speech outside a train station when two shots rang out at about 11:30 a.m. (0230 GMT). Security officials were then seen tackling a man in a grey T-shirt and beige trousers.
