Andrew Holness, Foreign Minister Pay Tribute To Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, Highlight His Love For Reggae
Following the slaying of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Foreign Affairs Minister, Senator Kamina Johnson-Smith, have paid tribute to the late leader, emphasizing his love and support of Reggae and Dancehall music.
Holness took to his social media pages shortly after the news broke, where he shared a video paying tribute to Abe and which comprised, among other things, scenes of himself and the late PM in Japan at an official event in December 2019, ahead of the Summer Olympics, greeting the Japanese Mighty Crown sound system and dancing to Koffee’s hit song Toast.
“Shinzo Abe was a friend of Jamaica and one of the most gracious world leaders I have had the privilege of interacting with. His killing is shocking and deeply disturbing. I extend heartfelt condolences to his family and the people of Japan in this very sad moment,” Holness noted on the post.
In the Upper House of Parliament yesterday, Johnson-Smith in her tribute described Abe as a true friend of Jamaica.
“His appreciation of Jamaican sports and music is always at the forefront of his mind. Indeed when he invited Prime Minister Holness on his official visit in 2019, this was present throughout the entirety of the visit,” she told the Senate.
“And Prime Minister in his social media post this morning, has not only shared his own shock and sadness, but he shared some images from the visit where Prime Minister Abe had personally requested that a Japanese Reggae sound system be present for the final event of the Jamaican visit. A sound system called the Mighty Crown and they have been in fact recognised by our own JARIA because of their global reach,” she added.
She continued: “We are told that when the sound system started to play Koffee’s Toast, Prime Minister went to greet them. Prime Minister Abe joined him in not only greeting the sound system but dancing and enjoying the evening which reminded us of his exploits on the dance floor with Prime Minister Simpson Miller, when he was here in Jamaica, an event which he recounted to me personally in the margins of the UN.”
In December 2019, Mighty Crown, known as the “Far East Rulaz”, were hand-selected by Abe, to attend and perform at an exclusive, invite-only dinner celebrating the Jamaican Prime Minister’s visit to Japan.
Abe had introduced Mighty Crown to Holness as “The 1999 World Clash Champions” and both men had engaged in conversation with the Mighty Crown selectors, about the impact of Jamaican music on their personal and professional lives.
Mighty Crown who were the first sound-system DJs to perform at Prime Minister Shinzō Abe’s home, Mighty Crown had said that they were honoured to have received that opportunity.
“To have the prime ministers call the name Mighty Crown from their mouths and salute us was just crazy,” selector Sami T had said.
During the event, Mighty Crown had played selections from several Jamaican artists including Bob Marley, Beres Hammond, and Richie Stephens. And they musically introduced Prime Minister Abe to the ‘Crown Prince of Reggae’, Dennis Brown.
Abe had also visited Jamaica in September 2015 where he and then Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, visited the Bob Marley Museum, on Hope Road, hours after his arrival. At the museum, Abe was greeted with the singing of One Love and taken on a tour, after which he posed for photos in front of the record shop there.
Abe died in hospital on Friday morning after he was shot twice whilst giving a speech at a political campaign event on a street in the city of Nara.
Security officials at the scene tackled the 41-year-old suspect who is now in police custody. The suspect, named as Tetsuya Yamagami, admitted to shooting Abe with a homemade gun, and said he had a grudge against a “specific organisation” he believed Abe was connected to, Japanese police confirmed at a news conference.
The police have also reported that several other handmade weapons, similar to those used in the attack, had been confiscated after a search of the suspect’s house. In addition, explosives were also found at the home and police said they had advised residents to evacuate the area.