Elon Musk has succeeded in recent months to extend his growing influence beyond Silicon Valley and Wall Street.
Tesla's (TSLA) billionaire CEO and his 100.6 million Twitter followers have become one of the most influential voices in the world. This power Musk uses to shine the spotlight on the problems undermining society and on issues that he considers urgent to solve or discuss.
And Musk's concerns know no borders. He did not hesitate to interfere in the Russian invasion of Ukraine by showing support for Ukraine. Musk has publicly backed Kyiv, opening the path to other business bosses. He also challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin, which did not escape social media giant Meta Platforms (META), Facebook's parent company. Mark Zuckerberg's group, usually measured and reluctant to get involved in geopolitics, has not hesitated to take strong measures against Russia and Russian entities.
Musk has just confirmed his unofficial title of global CEO by reacting to the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, 67, on July 8. He was shot from behind while speaking at a campaign event in the western city of Nara.
'Terrible News'
"Terrible news," Musk wrote on Twitter, commenting on a message from a Tesla board member on the death of Shinzo Abe. The member wrote: "What a tragedy for his family, Japanese people, and democracy…..Dark, dark day."
The body of Shinzo Abe arrived on July 9 at his home in Tokyo aboard a hearse along with his wife Akie, which at dawn had left the hospital in Kashihara near Nara where the former prime minister had been taken after the attack.
Hit by two bullets in the neck, he was declared dead a few hours later, despite the efforts of a team of 20 doctors, Japanese authorities said. A security service was present at the speaking event where Abe was shot, but it was easy for spectators to approach Abe, local media reported.
Japan has one of the strictest gun control laws in the world and the number of people killed by gunfire is extremely low.
The World in Shock
According to local media, a wake is scheduled on the evening of July 11 and the funeral will take place on July 12, with only the family and relatives of Abe in attendance.
Shinzo Abe's death has shocked Japan. The assassination was condemned around the world, with U.S. President Joe Biden saying he was "stunned, outraged and deeply saddened" and French leader Emmanuel Macron paying tribute to "a great Prime Minister, who dedicated his life to his country and worked to the balance of the world".
China and South Korea, with which Japan has often rocky relations, also expressed their condolences. Chinese President Xi Jinping said he was "deeply saddened by this sudden death".
Abe, heir to a political dynasty, holds the record for longevity as prime minister of Japan, which he held in 2006-2007 and then again from 2012 to 2020.
Both nationalist and pragmatic, he made an impression with his bold economic policy dubbed "Abenomics", combining massive fiscal stimulus with an ultra-accommodating monetary policy.
Abe also advocated a Japan free from its militaristic past, and dreamed of revising the pacifist Japanese Constitution of 1947, written by the American occupiers and never amended since.
He had been forced to resign for health reasons, but had remained very influential.
Musk, who is passionate about technological innovations and wants to be remembered as the most innovative boss of our time, is a Japan observer. He recently hailed the country's prowess in rail transport.
