Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed shock on Saturday at the assassination of Shinzo Abe, saying the "relational depth" between West Bengal and Japan was personified by the former prime minister.
Abe, 67, died after being shot while giving a campaign speech in Nara city in western Japan on Friday morning. "His dastardly assassination brings us immense pain.
He not only cemented the relation between India & Japan but also had a special connection with Bengal. May the noble soul rest in peace," Banerjee tweeted.
In a communication to Nakagawa Koichi, the consul general of Japan in Kolkata, Banerjee said West Bengal has excellent trade, industrial and cultural relations with Japan, and the "relational depth was personified by the much beloved leader Shinzo Abe".
(With PTI Inputs)