Top US commander in Japan condemns Abe’s killing as an ‘affront’ to democracy

"TOKYO – U.S. military commanders in Japan remembered former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as a friend and ally in messages of condolence posted following Abe’s assassination on Friday.

“Prime Minister Abe was an unwavering ally and partner to the U.S., and did so much to support our service members in Japan and strengthen the alliance we share,” Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, based at Yokosuka, Japan, wrote in a message posted on his command’s Facebook page Saturday.

Abe, 67, was shot from behind while delivering a campaign speech outside a train station in Nara, about 300 miles west of Tokyo. He died later in a hospital.

Abe in 2015 was the first Japanese prime minister to set foot on an American warship when he visited the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan during the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Fleet Review. The Ronald Reagan is homeported at Yokosuka Naval Base as the flagship of a carrier strike group."...