World leaders are expressing sadness, shock, and outrage at the assassination of a man many of them knew personally—Shinzo Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister. Abe, who resigned in 2020, was fatally shot while delivering a speech at a campaign event in western Japan Friday. Former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott described Abe as Japan's most significant postwar leader, the BBC reports. "This is a dreadful loss for Japan, for Australia, and for a world where democracies stand strong and together," said Abbott, who worked closely with the Japanese leader. More:
- "A dear friend." Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the "heinous attack" on his "dear friend." In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "shocked and saddened beyond words at the tragic demise of one of my dearest friends, Shinzo Abe." Iran's foreign ministry condemned what it called an "act of terrorism."