BANGKOK: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pays a short condolence go to to Japan following the assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, the State Division mentioned on Sunday (Jul 10).
Blinken will journey to Tokyo on Monday to pay his respects to the previous chief and meet with senior Japanese officers earlier than returning to Washington from an Asian tour that he’s now wrapping up.
“Secretary Blinken will journey to Tokyo, Japan, to supply condolences to the Japanese individuals on the dying of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and to fulfill with senior Japanese officers,” State Division spokesperson Ned Value mentioned in an announcement. “The US-Japan Alliance is the cornerstone of peace and stability within the Indo-Pacific and has by no means been stronger.”
Blinken is in Thailand on a pre-scheduled go to and had been in Indonesia on Friday attending a Group of 20 nations’ international ministers assembly in Bali when Abe was shot and killed. He would be the most senior US official to go to Japan within the aftermath of Abe’s dying.
On Saturday in Bali, Blinken mentioned Abe’s killing was a “tragedy” for the world and, like many different present and former US officers, lauded the previous prime minister for his imaginative and prescient.
“Prime Minister Abe was a transformative chief, a statesman, somebody of really world stature,” Blinken advised reporters. He added that Abe’s dying had shaken the G20 assembly with a lot of his international minister colleagues expressing shock and misery on the information.
Shortly after Abe was pronounced lifeless, Blinken met in Bali with Japanese International Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa and South Korean International Minister Park Jin to overview technique primarily associated to North Korea. In that assembly and once more on Saturday, Blinken underscored the significance of the US-Japan relationship.
“The alliance between Japan and the US has been a cornerstone of our international coverage for many years and as I mentioned yesterday, Prime Minister Abe actually introduced that partnership to new heights,” he mentioned.
“The friendship between the Japanese and American individuals is likewise unshakable,” Blinken mentioned.
“So we’re standing with the individuals of Japan, with the prime minister’s household, within the aftermath of a really, really appalling act of violence.”
This text was initially printed by channelnewsasia.com. Learn the unique article right here.
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