"You can't believe it": Local leaders express shock over assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe
NEW YORK -- World leaders are reacting to the assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe with sadness and shock.
Abe led Japan for almost a decade before health issues forced him to step down in 2020.
At the Japanese consulate on Park Avenue, an NYPD officer was posted as a precaution Friday.
Ami Yokoyama, of Astoria, told CBS2's Tony Aiello the mood inside was one of shock, a reaction she shared after the assassination of Abe.
"I'm curious like what the backstory behind the people who, actually, the person who actually shot Abe-san," she said.
Police say alleged gunman Tetsuya Yamagami was upset with an unnamed group that Abe supported.
Video shows Abe, 67, campaigning for a parliamentary candidate in Nara City. There are two loud bangs and the former PM falls to the ground. Security quickly tackled the gunman and recovered a homemade weapon.
Watch Dick Brennan's report
"Shock doesn't even begin to describe the way I felt when I heard the news," said Joshua Walker, president of the Japan Society on East 47th Street.
Abe visited the society almost every year during his near-decade as prime minister.
"There's just this feeling that you can't believe it. He was a personal friend. He's someone that has been incredibly supportive of Japan Society, a huge friend of the United States and just a global leader who's going to be deeply missed by all of us," Walker said.
Abe pushed to develop Japan's military and economy. He was the first world leader to visit then president-elect Trump in Manhattan in 2016. He earlier had good relations with President Obama.
Friday, President Biden visited the Japanese ambassador's residence in D.C. to sign a condolence book, while in New York, the United Nations security council held a moment of silence in Abe's honor.
Gun violence is quite rare in Japan, just 10 shootings in 2021 in a nation of 125 million people.
Police raided the home of the suspect, reportedly seizing multiple weapons that appeared to be homemade.