Japan has witnessed an extraordinary outpouring of grief and sadness for former prime minister Shinzo Abe who was assassinated in the city of Nara on Friday.
The country has seen nothing like it since the death of Emperor Hirohito in 1989.
Abe, the country’s longest serving post-war prime minister, inspired respect rather than love.
In fact, opinion polls repeatedly showed that most Japanese weren’t overly fond of him, even though they kept voting for him.
So what is behind their grief?
It’s partly driven by shock at the way he died – gunned down while delivering a speech at a campaign event. There’s an inability to comprehend that such an outrageous death could take place in Japan, where gun crimes and political violence are so rare.
But with his death, there is also a growing realization of what Abe gave Japan.
I – Word Understanding
Outpouring – expressing strong feelings
Gunned down – killed or seriously injured by gun shot/s
Outrageous – shockingly bad or excessive
II – Have Your Say
1, Please describe ex-Pm Shinzo Abe in your own words.
2, What do you consider the greatest achievement of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as your country’s leader?
3, Share your thoughts on the following:
a, Abenomics
b, National security – article 9
