Dear Editor,
IT was a great shock to read that Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated by a disgruntled man.

That he was murdered by a gun in a country known for tranquillity is unbelievable. In 2021, there was only one gun-related death in the country of 125 million people as compared with the United States of America with 47,000 gun-related deaths.

Abe worked very hard to boost bilateral relations with other countries including Russia, which fell out after the Ukraine war.

Abe supported peaceful efforts to resolve conflicts. He was also supportive of democratic principles.

Abe walked away from political power at the height of his political popularity. Few leaders did or do that, certainly not in the Caribbean or Latin America or Africa.

No doubt, Abe was an outstanding leader, a great statesman, the likes of whom have not been seen in recent decades around the globe.

He was liked in Asia and was seen as a giant of a leader who won hearts and minds of people in Asia, including the 1.35 billion people of India, where he visited multiple times.

He was a very humble man who engaged in local customs and practices of host countries, including performing ‘aarti’ on the banks of the Ganges River in Varanasi. He also put on the national male wear of host countries he visited in Southeast Asia.

Abe positioned Japan as a responsible, developed nation. He did not venture into war but instead supported peace-making missions, including in Africa.

Abe’s economic reforms are a significant feature of his unparalleled legacy. Abe’s policies turned around Japan’s economy from recession into the robust position it now occupies among developed countries.

He was generous in foreign grants – assisting African and Latin American and Caribbean countries, including Guyana.

It is hoped that his legacy will live on and that Japan will continue to be as generous and visionary as under Mr Abe.

Yours truly,
Vishnu Bisram