President Higgins laments ‘appalling’ murder of ex-Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe

Shinzo Abe at the G8 Summit in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland in 2013 (PA)

President Michael D Higgins has expressed his “deep condolences” to the Emperor of Japan at the “appalling” murder of former prime minister Shinzo Abe.

“The fact that he fell victim to this most brutal of crimes whilst actively engaging in Japan’s democratic process of political choice makes today’s events all the more appalling,” he wrote in a letter to Tokyo’s Imperial Palace.