Abe Shinzo’s assassination is a great loss to a region he helped to re-imagine as the “Indo-Pacific”. Leaders have reacted with shock at his killing on Friday. US President Joe Biden lauded Abe’s effort to “advance a common vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific” and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi proclaimed a national day of mourning for Saturday for a man “ahead of his times”. Australia’s Anthony Albanese described Abe as “a giant of the world stage” and singled out the Quad grouping, drawing together the United States, India, Australia and Japan, as “a legacy of Mr Abe’s diplomatic activism”. Biden, Modi and Albanese joined on Saturday to issue a statement describing Abe as a “transformative leader” and pledged to honour his memory by “redoubling our work towards a peaceful and prosperous region”.
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