Gov. David Ige orders flags at half-staff in honor of Japan’s Shinzo Abe

Gov. David Ige has ordered that the U.S. and Hawaii stage flags at the state Capitol be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Sunday in memory of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated Friday while giving a campaign speech.

Flags are also to be flown half-staff and upon all state offices and agencies and at the Hawaii National Guard on Sunday.

The flags are already at half-staff to honor the victims of the Fourth of July Highland Park shooting until sunset on Saturday.

Abe, 67, was assassinated on a street in western Japan by a gunman who opened fire on him from behind as he delivered a campaign speech, the Associated Press reported.

Police arrested Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, a former member of Japan’s navy at the scene on suspicion of murder.

Ige called Abe a “true friend of Hawaii” and shared a photo of the prime minister’s visit to the state in December 2016 to Twitter and Facebook.

“I’m devastated by the news of former Prime Minister Abe’s assassination,” said Ige in a statement. “This senseless act of violence has taken the life of a true friend of Hawaii. In our multiple meetings, we shared stories of our past, embraced our common culture, and continued the quest for reconciliation and partnership that has developed between the United States and Japan. Dawn and I extend our deepest condolences to the people of Japan, Prime Minister Abe’s wife, Akie and the family members and friends of this world leader who exemplified the aloha spirit and lived his life seeking peace in the world.”