JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Reactions continue to pour in about the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a campaign speech Friday.
While his policies and tenure as Japan’s longest-standing prime minister were controversial, there’s no doubt Abe, 67, was influential across the world, and his death is sending shockwaves.
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News4JAX spoke to two Japanese women who now live in Jacksonville and are leaders for the Japanese Association of Jacksonville, where they spread cultural knowledge about art, food, music and peace.
Megumi Mudrick, secretary of the Japanese Association of Jacksonville, calls Abe’s assassination “very sad.”
“Everybody is shocked. I talked with my family this morning and people said I cannot believe it. It just happened. A gun, so this is very rare,” Mudrick said.
Mudrick was born in Japan and lived there until 2018 with Abe as her leader.
“He is the longest prime minister in history and did some good things,” Mudrick said.
Kie Young is president of the Japanese Association of Jacksonville. Young’s grandfather was a councilor in Tokyo.
“I woke up, and I had to check my phone, and I saw Ave was assassinated. I’m like that’s not Japan. That cannot be right,” Young said. “My grandfather was a politician, so he was always giving speeches in public just like [Abe] in front of the train station with tons of people around him. I never had to worry about him being shot at and killed. People talked bad about him. I’ve heard that before but not being shot at. It’s just unbelievable.”
In Japan, gun violence is extremely rare due to strike gun laws. In 2021, 10 people were reported shot with one death. That’s why Young said most people in the crowds at the time of the incident did not realize a shooting happened and stood in place and didn’t scatter.
The Japanese Association of Jacksonville works hard in the community to bond people with other cultures. While this is a dark moment for modern Japanese politics, Young said it’s another chance to preach peace.
“Most of us are all sad about this incident but to the sad things that have happened, I think we can really connect and love and care about each other,” Young said.
Florida politicians such as Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio have also made comments regarding Abe’s death.
“This senseless act of violence, which took the life of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, grieves the world. During his tenure as Prime Minister, he was one of our most important allies in our efforts to build a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Rubio said.
DeSantis shared his condolences at a news conference in Cape Coral, calling Abe a “great leader.”
“He understood freedom,” DeSantis said. “He understood the importance of having a strong U.S.-Japan relationship.”