India to observe day of national mourning on July 9: PM Narendra Modi

India has announced one day of state mourning on July 9 as a mark of respect for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who was shot on Friday while delivering a campaign speech in Nara city in western JapanPrime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his shock over the tragic demise of Abe and in a tweet said As a mark of our deepest respect for former Prime Minister ShinzoAbe a oneday national mourning shall be observed on 9 July 2022PM Modi wrote I am shocked and saddened beyond words at the tragic demise of one of my dearest friends Shinzo Abe He was a towering global statesman an outstanding leader and a remarkable administrator He dedicated his life to making Japan and the world a better placeAfter the attack on him Abe was rushed to hospital and initial media reports citing authorities said that it appeared that the former Japanese PM was shot at in the chest They described his condition as in cardiopulmonary arrest and said he showed no vital signsAlso Read In Photos When former Japan PM Shinzo Abe visited IndiaPublic broadcaster NHK later reported citing ruling Liberal Democratic Party sources that Abe had died Abe died at 503 pm local time and had two gunshot wounds in his neck according to officials from Nara Medical University HospitalJapanese Police arrested a suspect for shooting Abe identified as Tetsuya Yamagami a 41yearold resident of Nara City according to local media A gun that appeared to be handmade was retrieved from the site where Abe was campaigning for a candidate ahead of Sundays elections for Japans upper house of ParliamentDefence Minister Rajnath Singh too expressed grief over the unfortunate moment Deeply saddened by the demise of former PM of Japan Shinzo Abe His role in strengthening the strategic relationship between India amp Japan was commendable He leaves behind a lasting legacy in the IndoPacific My condolences to his family amp to the people of Japan he wrote in a tweetCongress leader Rahul Gandhi wrote Deeply saddened by the demise of former PM of Japan Shinzo Abe His role in strengthening the strategic relationship between India amp Japan was commendable He leaves behind a lasting legacy in the IndoPacific My condolences to his family amp to the people of JapanAbe Japans longestserving prime minister stepped down in 2020 citing health reasons He was prime minister of Japan twice from 200607 and again from 201220 He was succeeded by Yoshihide Suga and later by Fumio KishidaJapanese prime minister Fumio Kishida earlier in his live address to the country today said this is not a forgivable act and that authorities would take appropriate measures to handle the situationKishida further said that the motive behind Abes shooting is not known The media outlet citing government sources also reported that Abes shooting suspect is an exmember of Japans SelfDefense ForcesThe Japanese PM also requested everyone to not speculate about any political ramifications at the timeThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever