Biden orders White House flags to half-staff to honor Abe
President Biden ordered flags at the White House and other federal buildings and military installations to be flown at half-staff through Sunday as a mark of respect for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after he was assassinated at a campaign event.
“The longest serving Prime Minister in Japan’s history, Abe Shinzo was a proud servant of the Japanese people and a faithful friend to the United States,” read a proclamation signed by Biden on Friday. “He worked with American Presidents of both parties to deepen the Alliance between our nations and advance a common vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Biden ordered American flags to be flown at half-staff at all public buildings, public grounds and military and naval stations and at half-mast on naval vessels through sunset on Sunday.
Abe was shot and killed while speaking at a campaign event in Japan, which has some of the strictest gun laws in the world. Japanese law enforcement arrested a suspect at the scene and said the gun the suspect allegedly used was homemade.
News of his assassination shocked the globe.
Biden earlier in a statement said he was “stunned” and “outraged” by Abe’s assassination.
“While there are many details that we do not yet know, we know that violent attacks are never acceptable and that gun violence always leaves a deep scar on the communities that are affected by it,” Biden said in the statement.
Abe was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, having left office in 2020 after eight years of service. Biden noted in his statement that he spent time working with Abe when he served as vice president in the Obama administration.