TOYODA Akio, Chairman Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Inc.

I am deeply shocked and saddened by the news of the passing of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated earlier today. I am deeply outraged and firmly condemn such a brutal and despicable act, which should never have occurred.

I can imagine that Mr. Abe, who cared more than anyone about world peace and the future of Japan, departed with a sense of regret. The former prime minister fully devoted himself to the cause and left his mark of excellence in diplomacy and security issues, based on leading the longest stable administration in constitutional history. His Abenomics-centered stewardship also led the country to a strong recovery from the Global Financial Crisis and the Great East Japan Earthquake.

We, JAMA, would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for Mr. Abe’s great achievements during his lifetime, and we offer our deepest sympathies.