[VIDEO/PICS] Shinzo Abe, former Japanese prime minister, dies after being shot while giving speech

[daytrader]

Japan ex-prime minister Shinzo Abe shot while giving speech
TBS Television reported that Abe had been shot on the left side of his chest and apparently also in the neck

Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot during a campaign speech Friday in western Japan and was airlifted to a hospital but he was not breathing and his heart had stopped, officials said.

Local fire department official Makoto Morimoto said Abe was in cardio and pulmonary arrest, or CPA, after being shot, meaning he was not breathing and his heart stopped while he was being airlifted to a prefectural hospital.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters that police arrested a male suspect at the scene of the shooting in Nara.

Abe was shot from behind by what appeared to be a man with a shotgun while delivering a speech in the western city of Nara, public broadcaster NHK said.

NHK aired footage showing Abe collapsed on the street, with several security guards running toward him, He was bleeding and holding his chest.

Abe was in Nara campaigning ahead of Sunday’s election for the parliament’s upper house and was giving a speech when people heard a gunshot.

Police arrested a male suspect at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder, NHK said.

The attack was a shock in a country that’s one of the world’s safest and with some of the strictest gun control laws anywhere.

The term heart failure means the heart cannot sufficiently pump blood and supply necessary oxygen to the rest of the body. In Japan, officials sometimes use the term to describe situations where victims are no longer alive but before a formal declaration of death has been made.

It was not immediately clear how serious Abe’s injuries were or if he was still displaying vital signs.

Abe, 67, stepped down as prime minister in 2020 because he said a chronic health problem has resurfaced. Abe has had ulcerative colitis since he was a teenager and has said the condition was controlled with treatment.

https://nationalpost.com/news/world...-abe-may-have-been-shot-taken-to-hospital-nhk

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Deeply shocked to hear the sad news of an attack on former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. We send our prayers & best wishes for his early recovery & good health. Our thoughts are with him, his family, and the people of Japan.</p>— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) <a href="https://twitter.com/CMShehbaz/status/1545293802805534720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

Japan’s former premier Shinzo Abe was fighting for his life on Friday after being shot at a campaign event, incumbent Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, condemning the “absolutely unforgivable” attack.

The shooting of the country’s best-known politician comes despite Japan’s strict gun laws and with campaigning under way ahead of upper house elections on Sunday.

“Former prime minister Shinzo Abe was shot in Nara and I have been informed he is in a very grave condition,” PM Kishida told reporters after arriving in Tokyo by helicopter from the campaign trail.

“I pray that former prime minister Abe will survive,” the visibly emotional leader said.

“It is a barbaric act during election campaigning, which is the foundation of democracy, and it is absolutely unforgivable. I condemn this act in the strongest terms.”

The attack took place shortly before noon in the country’s western region of Nara, and “one man, believed to be the shooter, has been taken into custody”, government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno earlier told reporters.

Kishida said “no decision” had been made on the election, though several parties announced their senior members would halt campaigning in the wake of the attack.

Abe, 67, had been delivering a stump speech with security present, but spectators were able to approach him fairly easily.

Footage broadcast by NHK showed him standing on a stage when a loud blast was heard with smoke visible in the air.

As spectators and reporters ducked, a man was shown being tackled to the ground by security.

Local media identified the man as 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, citing police sources, with several media outlets describing him as a former member of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, the country’s navy.

‘A large bang’
Witnesses at the scene described shock as the political event turned into chaos.

“He was giving a speech and a man came from behind,” a young woman at the scene told NHK.

“The first shot sounded like a toy bazooka. He didn’t fall and there was a large bang. The second shot was more visible, you could see the spark and smoke,” she added.

“After the second shot, people surrounded him and gave him cardiac massage.”

Abe was bleeding from the neck, witnesses said and photographs showed. He was reportedly initially conscious but subsequently lost consciousness, NHK reported.

Officials from the local chapter of Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party said there had been no threats before the incident and that his speech had been announced publicly.

‘Profoundly sad and shocking’

Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, held office in 2006 for one year and again from 2012 to 2020, when he was forced to step down due to the debilitating bowel condition ulcerative colitis.

He is a hawkish conservative who pushed for the revision of Japan’s pacifist constitution to recognise the country’s military and has stayed a prominent political figure even after his resignation.

Japan has some of the world’s toughest gun-control laws, and annual deaths from firearms in the country of 125 million people are regularly in single figures.

Getting a gun licence is a long and complicated process even for Japanese citizens, who must first get a recommendation from a shooting association and then undergo strict police checks.

Japan has seen “nothing like this for well over 50 to 60 years,” Corey Wallace, an assistant professor at Kanagawa University who focuses on Japanese politics, told AFP.

He said the last similar incident was likely the 1960 assassination of Inejiro Asanuma, the leader of the Japan Socialist Party, who was stabbed by a right-wing youth.

“But two days before an election, of a (man) who is so prominent … it’s really profoundly sad and shocking.”

He noted, too, that Japanese politicians and voters are used to a personal and close-up style of campaigning.

“This could really change. “

‘Despicable attack’

The attack has prompted international shock.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was “shocked to hear the sad news of an attack on former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe”.

“We send our prayers and best wishes for his early recovery and good health. Our thoughts are with him, his family and the people of Japan,” he said in a tweet.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced alarm over the shooting.

“This is a very, very sad moment,” Blinken told reporters at a G20 meeting in Bali, saying the United States was “deeply saddened and deeply concerned”.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha was “very shocked” at Abe’s shooting, the kingdom’s foreign affairs minister said, describing the pair as friends.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply distressed” by the shooting of Abe, describing the former Japanese premier as a “dear friend”.

“Deeply distressed by the attack on my dear friend Abe,” Modi wrote on Twitter. “Our thoughts and prayers are with him, his family, and the people of Japan. “

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was utterly appalled and saddened to hear about the “despicable attack” on Abe.

“My thoughts are with his family and loved ones,” he said on Twitter.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese termed the incident shocking.

“Shocking news from Japan that former PM Shinzo Abe has been shot — our thoughts are with his family and the people of Japan at this time,” he tweeted.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen also condemned the incident in a Facebook post.

“I believe everyone is as surprised and sad as I am. Taiwan and Japan are both democratic countries with rule of law. On behalf of my government, I would like to severely condemn violent and illegal acts,” he said.

The president added that “former Prime Minister Abe is not only a good friend of mine, but also a staunch friend of Taiwan’s. He has supported Taiwan for many years and spared no effort to promote the progress of Taiwan-Japan relations”.

European Council President Charles Michel said he was “shocked and saddened by [the] cowardly attack” on Japan’s former prime minister.

Abe was “a true friend, fierce defender of multilateral order & democratic values”, Michel tweeted.

“(The) EU stands with people of Japan and [Prime Minister] Fumio Kishida in these difficult times. Profound sympathies to his family.”

Likewise, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted: “Dear @AbeShinzo, stay strong! Our thoughts and prayers are with your family and the people of Japan.”

DAWN

 

[MenInG]

TOKYO — Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan, was in critical condition after being shot on Friday morning while giving a speech in western Japan, according to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Footage on social media showed Mr. Abe, 67, collapsed and bleeding on the ground in the city of Nara near Kyoto. The Japanese Fire and Disaster Management Agency said that Mr. Abe had sustained a gunshot wound to his right neck and left chest.

The police said they had arrested a suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, on a charge of attempted murder. The suspect had used “gunlike equipment,” which was retrieved at the scene, a police spokesman said.

Images shared on social media showed a man being tackled after the shooting near Yamatosaidaiji Station. The man was a Nara resident, according to NHK, the public broadcaster. A detailed motive for the shooting was not immediately made public.

Mr. Kishida, who had been on the campaign trail in Yamagata Prefecture and returned to Tokyo after the shooting, said at a news briefing that the attack had been a “heinous act,” adding, “It is barbaric and malicious, and it cannot be tolerated.”

He added: “Currently, doctors are doing everything they can. At this moment, I am hoping and praying that former P.M. Abe will survive this.”

Seigo Yasuhara, an official in the command center at the Nara Fire Department, said that after the shooting Mr. Abe had been under cardiopulmonary arrest and that he had been taken by an ambulance — unconscious and showing no vital signs — to a medical evacuation helicopter. He was then transported to Nara Medical University Hospital, the Nara Fire Department said.

Hirokazu Matsuno, chief cabinet secretary to Prime Minister Kishida, said that a crisis management center had been set up in the prime minister’s office.

Mr. Abe was the country’s longest-serving prime minister and served two terms, from 2006 to 2007 and 2012 to 2020. He resigned in 2020 because of ill health.

The former prime minister was in Nara campaigning ahead of elections for the Upper House of Parliament scheduled for Sunday. Mr. Abe was giving a campaign speech on behalf of Kei Sato, 43, a current member of the Upper House running for re-election in Nara. He had been speaking for less than a minute when two loud explosive sounds were heard behind him around 11:30 a.m.

Yoshio Ogita, 74, secretary general of Nara Prefecture’s Liberal Democratic chapter, was standing next to Mr. Abe. He said he heard two loud sounds and saw a plume of white smoke rising to the sky.

Mr. Abe toppled from a small 20-inch stand, where he had been perched so that he could rise above the crowd.

“I didn’t know what had happened,” Mr. Ogita said in a phone interview on Friday afternoon. “I saw him collapse.”

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/07/08/world/japan-shinzo-abe-shooting

 

[MenInG]

Video of shooting

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[MenInG]

Suspect wrestled to the ground:

 

[Markhor]

Shocking and appalling. I pray he pulls through.

 

[MenInG]

Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe has died after being shot while giving a speech in the western city of Nara, state broadcaster NHK said.

The 67-year-old bled to death after sustaining two deep neck wounds, a doctor from Nara Medical University Hospital said.

He had no vital signs on arrival, and one wound was deep enough to reach his heart, the doctor added.

Blood transfusions were given as medics battled to save his life.

The 67-year-old was shot from behind with what appeared to be a homemade gun.

It is the first assassination of a sitting or former Japanese premier since the 1930s.

Mr Abe held his chest as he collapsed, his shirt smeared with blood. NHK showed footage of security guards running towards him.

A puff of white smoke was seen as he made a campaign speech outside a railway station ahead of elections to Japan's upper house on Sunday.

A reporter at the scene said they heard two consecutive bangs during Mr Abe's address.

His death was also confirmed by a source within the ruling Liberal Democrat Party, Reuters reported.

A 41-year-old man has been arrested, police said.

The suspect told officers he was unhappy with Mr Abe and intended to kill him, NHK reported. But Kyodo News said the man had not been motivated by a grudge against Mr Abe's political beliefs.

It is also reported that the suspect served in the Japanese Navy.

Earlier, current prime minister Fumio Kishida said that while "everything that can be done is being done", Mr Abe was in a "grave condition".

Mr Kishida added that the "act of brutality" was "absolutely unforgivable". He has asked all members of the cabinet to return to Tokyo.

Political violence is rare in Japan, which has strict gun regulations.

"A barbaric act like this is absolutely unforgivable, no matter what the reasons are, and we condemn it strongly," chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said.

US ambassador Rahm Emanuel commented: "The US government and American people are praying for the well-being of Abe-san, his family, and the people of Japan."

Outgoing UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was "utterly appalled and saddened to hear about the despicable attack on Shinzo Abe".

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it was a "truly dark day", while former PM David Cameron said he was "alarmed to hear the terrible news from Japan this morning regarding the appalling attack on my friend and former colleague Shinzo Abe".

Mr Abe served two terms as prime minister - becoming Japan's longest-serving premier - before stepping down in 2020, saying a chronic health problem had resurfaced.

He has suffered from ulcerative colitis since he was a teenager.

He has remained a dominant presence in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, controlling one of its major factions.

SKY

 

[Technics 1210]

Shocking. More so this happened in Japan!

 

[Varun]

Who shot him?

Some army man I believe?

 

[MenInG]

Who shot him?

Some army man I believe?

From SKY

A 41-year-old man has been arrested, police said.

The suspect told officers he was unhappy with Mr Abe and intended to kill him, NHK reported. But Kyodo News said the man had not been motivated by a grudge against Mr Abe's political beliefs.

It is also reported that the suspect served in the Japanese Navy.

 

[Salma_T]

Shocking. More so this happened in Japan!

That is what was shocking for me too!

 

[MenInG]

Possible explosives found at suspect's home - report

Possible explosives have been found in the home of Tetsuya Yamagami, the man suspected of shooting dead Shinzo Abe, NHK is reporting.

It follows reports that the gun recovered at the scene of the fatal attack was homemade.

==

Suspected gunman Tetsuya Yamagami served in the Maritime Self-Defence Force - reports

Little is so far known about Abe's suspected assassin, Tetsuya Yamagami, and even less about his possible motives.

The 41-year-old was leapt on by security officials moments after the shooting and was being held on suspicion of attempted murder.

NHK reported that he had served in the Maritime Self-Defence Force for three years in the 2000s.

Police say that the suspect told investigators he had a grudge against Abe and shot to kill, NHK reports.

 

[MenInG]

India has announced one day of state mourning on July 9 as a mark of respect for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who was shot on Friday while delivering a campaign speech in Nara city in western Japan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his shock over the tragic demise of Abe and in a tweet said: "As a mark of our deepest respect for former Prime Minister #ShinzoAbe, a one-day national mourning shall be observed on 9 July 2022,"

PM Modi wrote, "I am shocked and saddened beyond words at the tragic demise of one of my dearest friends, Shinzo Abe. He was a towering global statesman, an outstanding leader, and a remarkable administrator. He dedicated his life to make Japan and the world a better place."

NDTV

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I extend my profound condolences over the sad demise of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He made invaluable contributions to the Pakistan-Japan relationship. Our prayers are with bereaved family. At this difficult time, we stand in solidarity with the people of Japan.</p>— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) <a href="https://twitter.com/CMShehbaz/status/1545352164729552897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[James]

How sad, RIP

 

[Champ_Pal]

Gun violence even in Japan

 

[Stewie]

I saw a picture of the gun. its a home made one and looked like patched together with tape but the overall design looked pretty sophisticated, so my guess is the guy knew what he was doing and what he wanted and probably comes from a background in engineering, firearms with proper training.
Not sure what sort of deep divisions caused this in a country which is known for its homogeneity.

 

[MenInG]

A man suspected of shooting dead former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe has admitted the crime, police have said.

Mr Abe, 67, was shot twice from behind while giving a speech at a campaign rally in the western city of Nara.

He bled to death after sustaining two deep neck wounds that damaged an artery.

It is the first assassination of a sitting or former Japanese premier since the 1930s.

Named in media reports as 41-year-old Yamagami Tetsuya, the gunman appeared unemotional when talking to investigators and has been responding calmly to questions.

Explosives have been found at the unemployed suspect's home and officers are recommending that nearby residents evacuate.

Pictures from the scene show what appears to be a homemade firearm. It was made of a mix of materials including metal and wood, police said.

It remains unclear whether the parts for it were bought on the internet and if it was made on a 3D printer.

An image isolated on video appears to show him moments before the shooting took place.

Dressed in a grey T-shirt and beige trousers, he was wrestled to the ground by police.

He told investigators he spent three years working for Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force.

According to state broadcaster NHK, he told police he was unhappy with Mr Abe and intended to kill him.

But Kyodo News said he had not been motivated by a grudge against Mr Abe's political beliefs.

SKY

 

[MenInG]

Since news broke this morning of Shinzo Abe's shooting, messages have been pouring in from friends and contacts, all asking the same question: how could this have happened in Japan?

I felt much the same myself. Living here you get used to not thinking about violent crime.

The identity of the victim only makes the news more shocking.

Shinzo Abe may no longer be Japan's prime minister, but he's still a huge figure in Japanese public life, and probably the most recognisable Japanese politician of the last three decades.

Who would want to kill Abe? And why?

I'm trying to think of an equivalent - of another act of political violence that would be similarly shocking to the local population. The one that comes to mind is the shooting of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme in 1986.

When I say people don't think about violent crime here, I'm not exaggerating.

Yes, there are the Yakuza, Japan's famously violent organised crime gangs. But most people never come in to contact with them. Even the Yakuza shy away from guns because the penalties for illegal possession are just not worth it.

Owning a gun in Japan is extremely difficult. It requires no criminal record, mandatory training, psychological evaluation, and extensive background checks including police interviewing neighbours.

Consequently, gun crime virtually doesn't exist here. On average, there are fewer than 10 gun-related deaths in Japan each year. In 2017, there were just three.

Little wonder then that much of the attention has been focused on the gunman and the weapon he used.

Who is he? Where did he get the gun from? Japanese media is reporting that the 41-year-old is a former member of the country's self-defence forces, the equivalent of an army.

But closer inspection shows he only spent three years in the navy. The gun he used is more curious. Pictures of it lying on the ground after the shooting show what looks like a home-made weapon. Two bits of steel pipe stuck together with black gaffer tape, with some sort of handmade trigger. It looks like something fashioned from plans downloaded off the internet.

So, was this a deliberate political attack, or the act of a fantasist, someone who wanted to become famous, by shooting someone famous? So far, we don't know.

Members of media gather in front of Nara Medical University Hospital where Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe is transferred after being attacked during an election campaign on July 09, 2022 in Nara.

The news has shocked a country that prides itself on public safety
Japan has certainly had its share of political assassinations. The most famous was in 1960 when the leader of Japan's socialist party, Inejiro Asanuma, was stabbed in the abdomen by a right-wing fanatic wielding a samurai sword. Although right-wing extremists still exist in Japan, Abe, a right-wing nationalist, would be an unlikely target.

In recent years, we have seen another type of crime becoming more common here. The quiet, lonely male with a grudge against someone or something.

In 2019, a man set fire to a building housing a popular animation studio in Kyoto, killing 36 people.

The man told police he had a grudge against the studio because it had "stolen his work".

In another case in 2008, a disgruntled young man drove a truck into a crowd of shoppers in Tokyo's Akihabara district, then got out and started stabbing onlookers. Seven people were killed.

Before carrying out the attack he had posted a message online saying, "I will kill people in Akihabara" and "I don't have a single friend, I am ignored because I'm ugly. I am lower than trash".

It's not clear yet whether Abe's shooting fits in to the first or the second category. But it seems certain that the assassination will change Japan.

Given how safe Japan is, security here is very relaxed. During election campaigns, like the ongoing one, politicians literally stand on street corners giving speeches and shaking hands with shoppers and passers-by.

It's almost certainly why Abe's attacker was able to get so close and discharge the weapon he had cobbled together.

That surely has to change after today.

BBC

 

[sweep_shot]

Tragic.

The shooter should be executed. Life for life.

 

[Pakpak]

He made the gun himself apparently.

So sad, RIP to Abe

 

[MenInG]

A motorcade carrying the body of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has arrived at his home in Tokyo.

Abe was shot dead while speaking at a political campaign event on Friday morning in the southern city of Nara.

Police investigating the assassination have said the suspect held a grudge against a "specific organisation".

The alleged gunman, named as Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, believed Abe was part of it, they said.

Yamagami has admitted shooting him with a homemade gun, according to police.

As a hearse carrying Abe's body arrived at his residence in Tokyo, members of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), dressed in black, lined up to pay their respects.

Current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to visit this afternoon.

According to local media reports, a night vigil will be held on Monday and Abe's funeral is due to take place on Tuesday.

Abe was Japan's longest-serving prime minister and his death at the age of 67 has profoundly shocked a country where gun crime is very rare.

He was killed while campaigning for his party in the run-up to upper house parliamentary elections on Sunday.

Prime Minister Kishida, also an LDP member, said he was "simply speechless", vowing that Japan's democracy would "never yield to violence".

He said the election campaign would continue on Saturday with tightened security, with Sunday's vote still set to go ahead.

BBC

 

[MenInG]

Shinzo Abe's body has been taken back to his home, as police in the city where the former Japanese prime minister was assassinated admitted security flaws.

Mr Abe, 67, was shot twice from behind while speaking at a campaign rally in the city of Nara - the first assassination of a sitting or former Japanese prime minister since the 1930s.

He sustained two deep neck wounds that damaged an artery, and died five-and-a-half hours after the late morning attack.

Police said 41-year-old Yamagami Tetsuya, who was tackled and arrested moments after the incident, admitted shooting Mr Abe with a homemade gun.

"We can't deny that there were problems with the security plan given how things ended," Nara prefectorial police chief Tomoaki Onizuka said.

"I feel a grave sense of responsibility."

Tetsuya said he held a grudge against a "specific organisation" and believed Mr Abe was part of it, police said.

However, the grudge was not about politics and it was not clear if the unnamed organisation actually existed, officers added.

Tetsuya was reported to be an unemployed factory worker who had also been a member of Japan's Maritime Defence Force.

A man believed to be the suspect is held by police.

On Saturday, a steady stream of mourners were visiting the scene in Nara as a motorcade thought to be carrying Mr Abe's body left the hospital.

The motorcade, also carrying Mr Abe's wife Akie, left the hospital in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, just before 6am, headed for his home in Tokyo.

A night vigil will be held on Monday, with Mr Abe's funeral to take place on Tuesday, attended by close friends, Japanese media said.

There was no immediate word on any plans for a public memorial service.

Chinese President Xi Jinping became the latest in a long line of world leaders to send a message of condolence on Saturday following Mr Abe's death.

Tributes have also come from the leaders of the US, UK, South Korea, Brazil, Israel, Canada, France, Australia, Ukraine, Russia and New Zealand, among others.

Meanwhile, campaigning resumed on the final day of electioneering before voting for the upper house of parliament.

The election is expected to deliver victory to the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, with the Liberal Democratic Party, where Mr Abe retained considerable influence, expected to gain seats.

SKY

 

[daytrader]

Japan bids sombre farewell to assassinated former PM Shinzo Abe
People queue to pay respects at Zojoji temple ahead of private funeral for assassinated former prime minister.

Japanese have turned out in their hundreds to bid farewell to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who dominated the country’s politics before his resignation in 2020, and died after being shot at a campaign rally last week.

Many gathered at the Zojoji temple in Tokyo to pay their respects ahead of a private funeral for Abe, who was 67.

His assassination on Friday by an unemployed man using a homemade gun shocked a nation where both gun crime and political violence are extremely rare.

Keiko Noumi, a 58-year-old teacher, was among those offering prayers and flowers in front of a large photograph of Abe set up inside the temple grounds.

“There was a sense of security when he was the prime minister in charge of the country,” she said. “I really supported him, so this is very unfortunate.”

Abe, who became one of Japan’s most influential post-war politicians, led the country for nearly eight years before he announced in August 2020 that he was resigning because of his health.

“Abe was the face of government,” Jeffrey Hall, an expert in Japanese politics at the Kanda University of International Studies, told Al Jazeera from Tokyo. “For eight years, he was always there. He had a vision of Japan. A vision of a country that would be more proactive in world affairs, [and] more proactive in security, and sought to achieve this by building many strong personal relationships with world leaders.”

The former prime minister’s private funeral is due to start at 1pm local time (04:00 GMT), with the ceremony open only to family and close friends.

Following the funeral, the hearse bearing Abe’s body will be driven through the centre of Tokyo, passing landmarks such as the parliament building that Abe first entered as a young legislator in 1993, and the office from which he led the nation.

Since his death, tributes have poured in from international leaders, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken making a brief stop en route to the United States from Southeast Asia on Monday morning to pay his respects.

Blinken said Abe “did more than anyone to elevate the relationship between the United States and Japan to new heights”.

French President Emmanuel Macron sent his condolences in footage posted on the country’s official presidential Twitter account after he visited the Japanese embassy in Paris.

“I remember all our meetings and work together, especially during my visit [to Japan] in 2019 … I’ve lost a friend,” said a solemn Macron.

“He served his country with great courage, and audacity.”

The suspected killer, arrested at the scene and identified by police as 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, believed Abe had promoted a religious group to which his mother made a “huge donation”, Kyodo news agency has said, citing investigators.

The Unification Church, known for its mass weddings and devoted following, said on Monday the suspect’s mother was one of its members.

Yamagami shot Abe from behind using a 40-cm-long (16-inch) weapon equipped with plastic pellets, according to Kyodo.

He told investigators he watched YouTube tutorials to learn how to make guns, the news agency reported on Tuesday.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022...farewell-to-assassinated-former-pm-shinzo-abe

 

[MenInG]

"I feel disgusted that I can relate to him but I can understand how he became isolated in society," says one man, whose mother is a member of a religious organisation, so he only wants to be known by his Twitter handle - @syuukyou2sei.

When Tetsuya Yamagami confessed that he decided to kill Japan's former prime minister because of Shinzo Abe's ties to a specific religious group, the phrase "Shukyo Nisei" started trending on social media.

The term literally translates to "religion second generation". It refers to children of parents who have joined a religious group.

"I feel furious that Yamagami has put a spotlight on us in the worst possible way," @syuukyou2sei, who grew up in the Jehovah's Witnesses' faith, says.

"I wasn't allowed to celebrate birthdays. I wasn't allowed to sing a national or school anthem. I was forced to be part of their campaign to spread their faith."

When contacted by the BBC, a spokesperson for the Jehovah's Witnesses in Japan said they "respect the right of each individual to choose what they want to believe in", but "a parent's right to educate one's child based on his or her own belief is internationally recognised".

As soon as he turned 18 years old, @syuukyou2sei severed ties with his mother.

He says he doesn't get stigmatised because he doesn't tell people about her. But something as trivial as a colleague asking why he wasn't close to her can make him feel lonely.

"No one wants to be able to understand how Yamagami feels because what he has done is despicable. But I can imagine how he ended up holding a grudge against others."

Ties to politics

The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification - formerly named the Japan Unification Church - has since confirmed that Yamagami's mother has been a member since 1998.

She reportedly joined after her husband took his own life, leaving her to raise three young children on her own.

Yamagami told police he blames the group for bankrupting his mother.

According to lawyers who represent alleged victims, its followers lost at least 5.4bn yen ($39m; £33m) in the past five years. The organisation's Japan chairman Tomihiro Tanaka denies forcing its members to make donations.

"It is a religious group which started in South Korea, entered Japan in the 1960s and has a very sophisticated money-making operation," religion journalist Eito Suzuki explains.

"The group has caused societal problems with its spiritual-pressure sales and mass weddings, but politically it is anti-communist, and it is close to Japan's conservative politicians."

Mr Tanaka says the group has since changed, but lawyers claim otherwise - saying they still receive many complaints against them.

Most commonly, the group sends its followers as staff to work at politicians' offices, according to Mr Suzuki.

Lawyers representing its alleged victims say there were hundreds of its believers working for lawmakers - often unpaid - in the 1990s.

Mr Abe's relationship to the religious group has been rumoured especially on social media.


What did Shinzo Abe mean to Japan?

Part of the reason is because his grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi - who was also Japan's prime minister - was believed to have been close to it due to its anti-communist nature. And when Mr Abe appeared remotely as a speaker at an Unification Church-related event last September, Yamagami was convinced.

While there is no excuse for committing such a heinous crime, @syuukyou2sei says Japan has long ignored the human rights of the children of members of these religious groups.

"There is no system to protect us. Our constitutional rights - to believe in whatever religion we choose to - are oppressed, and yet, the government has long treated it as 'a family's problem'", he said.

Economically disenfranchised
The difficulty in getting social support also applies to others in hardship.

Forty-one years old and unemployed, Yamagami also belongs to what is known here as "the employment ice age".

In Japan, becoming a permanent employee is seen as a traditional marker of success.
He struggled to get a full-time job, and aside from several years that he spent at Japan's self-defence-force, he hopped around irregular work.

Japan is a society where going to a university and becoming a permanent employee has traditionally been defined as success.

People are often identified as belonging to a "winning" team ("kachi-gumi") or "losing" team ("make-gumi"). As Yamagami's background was revealed, online commenters were quick to judge him as "a typical losing team".

Many of Japan's recent violent crimes such as the 'Joker attack' were committed by unemployed men who held a grudge against society.

"When those in need try and get help, they are asked to work harder, and if that doesn't work, their families are expected to support them," says Hiroto Watanabe of a non-profit-organisation Posse, which focuses on youth poverty and labour issues.

"But if their families are broken up for whatever reasons - like the case of Yamagami, there is no one to help them and that is when people feel abandoned by the society," he added.

Japan is one of the world's safest countries but every few years, it is shaken by violent crimes like these.

And Yamagami's action has highlighted another group of people who feel desperately ignored and left behind in society.

BBC

 

[MenInG]

Japan’s most senior police officer has said he will resign to take responsibility for security lapses leading up to the fatal shooting last month of the former prime minister, Shinzo Abe.

Itaru Nakamura said on Thursday that he intended to step down as head of the national police agency to give the organisation a “fresh start”, weeks after Abe was gunned down while making an election campaign speech.

“We have decided to shake up our personnel and start afresh with our security duties, and that’s why I tendered my resignation today,”

“In the process of verifying our new security plan, we have come to realise that our security system needs a fresh start … we need a new system to fundamentally reexamine security measures and ensure this never happens again.” He did not say when his resignation would take effect.

Media reports said Tomoaki Onizuka, the head of police in Nara, the western prefecture where Abe was killed, had also said he would quit.

Abe’s assassination, which occurred late in the morning outside a suburban railway station, immediately raised questions about how the suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, was able to shoot his target from behind at close range.

Security experts have said bodyguards could have saved Abe by shielding him or pulling him out of the line of fire during the two-and-a-half-second gap between the first shot, which missed the target, and the second, fatal shot.

The prime minister, Fumio Kishida, acknowledged security arrangements had been flawed, while police officials admitted there had been “problems” with security.

“We failed to fulfil our responsibility to protect dignitaries,” Nakamura said soon after the 8 July shooting, before calling for an investigation and a review of security for politicians and other VIPs. “We take this extremely seriously. As the [police agency] commissioner general, who is in charge of directing and supervising prefectural police, my responsibility is truly grave.”

Abe’s death, just two days before national elections, prompted other candidates to cancel speeches or step up security measures.

Japanese media reported that none of the three local police officers assigned to watch the area behind Abe had noticed Yamagami approaching the politician shortly before he opened fire with a homemade gun. Instead, according to the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper, they had been observing the growing number of people stopping to listen to Abe’s speech.

Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you through the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning

Yamagami, who is reportedly undergoing a psychiatric evaluation, got to within about seven metres of Abe before firing the first shot, the Yomiuri Shimbun said, citing investigative sources, before firing the second from a distance of about five metres.

Yamagami has told investigators he was driven to kill Abe by a hatred of the Unification church, saying his mother had left their family financially ruined after making huge donations to the organisation.

Abe last year delivered a video message to a group affiliated to the church, and his grandfather, the postwar prime minister Nobusuke Kishi, helped it establish a presence in Japan to counter the growing influence of communism and the trade union movement.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...-to-resign-after-fatal-shooting-of-shinzo-abe

 

[SalimBhai]

Wow. Thats character, taking responsibility.

 

[sweep_shot]

Japan’s most senior police officer has said he will resign to take responsibility for security lapses leading up to the fatal shooting last month of the former prime minister, Shinzo Abe.

Itaru Nakamura said on Thursday that he intended to step down as head of the national police agency to give the organisation a “fresh start”, weeks after Abe was gunned down while making an election campaign speech.

“We have decided to shake up our personnel and start afresh with our security duties, and that’s why I tendered my resignation today,”

“In the process of verifying our new security plan, we have come to realise that our security system needs a fresh start … we need a new system to fundamentally reexamine security measures and ensure this never happens again.” He did not say when his resignation would take effect.

Media reports said Tomoaki Onizuka, the head of police in Nara, the western prefecture where Abe was killed, had also said he would quit.

Abe’s assassination, which occurred late in the morning outside a suburban railway station, immediately raised questions about how the suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, was able to shoot his target from behind at close range.

Security experts have said bodyguards could have saved Abe by shielding him or pulling him out of the line of fire during the two-and-a-half-second gap between the first shot, which missed the target, and the second, fatal shot.

The prime minister, Fumio Kishida, acknowledged security arrangements had been flawed, while police officials admitted there had been “problems” with security.

“We failed to fulfil our responsibility to protect dignitaries,” Nakamura said soon after the 8 July shooting, before calling for an investigation and a review of security for politicians and other VIPs. “We take this extremely seriously. As the [police agency] commissioner general, who is in charge of directing and supervising prefectural police, my responsibility is truly grave.”

Abe’s death, just two days before national elections, prompted other candidates to cancel speeches or step up security measures.

Japanese media reported that none of the three local police officers assigned to watch the area behind Abe had noticed Yamagami approaching the politician shortly before he opened fire with a homemade gun. Instead, according to the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper, they had been observing the growing number of people stopping to listen to Abe’s speech.

Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you through the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning

Yamagami, who is reportedly undergoing a psychiatric evaluation, got to within about seven metres of Abe before firing the first shot, the Yomiuri Shimbun said, citing investigative sources, before firing the second from a distance of about five metres.

Yamagami has told investigators he was driven to kill Abe by a hatred of the Unification church, saying his mother had left their family financially ruined after making huge donations to the organisation.

Abe last year delivered a video message to a group affiliated to the church, and his grandfather, the postwar prime minister Nobusuke Kishi, helped it establish a presence in Japan to counter the growing influence of communism and the trade union movement.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...-to-resign-after-fatal-shooting-of-shinzo-abe

Good to see the police officer is taking responsibility.

Security should've been better. There was a clear lapse.

 

[daytrader]

Several thousand protesters have gathered as a state funeral begins for Japan’s slain former prime minister Shinzo Abe.

Leaders from around the world have also arrived in Tokyo for the event.

The 67-year-old politician, Japan’s longest-serving PM, was gunned down at an election rally in July.

The new alliances he forged to respond to China's growing power came alongside big and unpopular changes to Japan’s pacifist constitution.

Some 20,000 police officers have reportedly been deployed for Tuesday’s event - security is exceptionally tight given that police admitted to flaws in the protection provided to Abe in July.

But the event - which is estimated to have cost taxpayers $1.65bn yen ($11.5m; £10.7m) - is facing a huge backlash in Japan, a sign of Abe's complicated legacy

 

[MenInG]

Japanese and foreign dignitaries paid tribute to Shinzo Abe, the assassinated former prime minister of Japan, at a controversial state funeral on Tuesday, as long lines of people gathered to offer flowers and prayers.

Mr Abe's ashes, carried by his widow Akie, arrived at the storied Budokan venue in Tokyo, where a 19-gun salute sounded in honour of the slain former leader.

The motorcade carrying his remains had travelled from his widow's home in the capital, past a row of white-uniformed armed troops who stood to attention.

Outside the Budokan, thousands of Japanese people stood in line as the ashes arrived, waiting to deliver flowers and say a prayer in two mourning tents.

Toru Sato, 71, leaned on his cane as he waited. "I only know Abe-san on TV. He worked so hard. His death was so tragic. I felt so sorry for him," he said.

Koji Takamori, 46, came all the way from northern Hokkaido with his nine-year-old son. "I wanted to thank him. He has done so much for Japan," he said.

"The way he died was so shocking. To be honest, I also came because there has been so much opposition. It's almost like I'm here to oppose those who are opposing this (funeral)," he added.

Mr Abe's opponents were also visible in Tokyo, albeit in much smaller numbers, marching near the tents before an expected demonstration in front of the parliament.

Mr Abe was Japan's longest-serving prime minister and one of the country's most recognisable political figures, known for cultivating international alliances and his "Abenomics" economic strategy.

He resigned in 2020 over recurring health problems, but remained a key political voice and was campaigning for his ruling party when a lone gunman killed him on July 8.

The shooting sent shock waves through a country with famously low gun crime and prompted international condemnation.

But the decision to give him a state funeral - only the second for a former premier in the post-war period - has provoked opposition, with around 60 per cent of Japanese against the event in recent polls.

Mr Abe's accused killer targeted the former leader believing he had ties to the Unification Church, which he resented over massive donations his mother had made to the sect.

The assassination prompted fresh scrutiny of the church and its fundraising, and uncomfortable questions for Japan's political establishment, with the ruling party admitting around half its lawmakers had links to the religious organisation.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has pledged the party will sever all ties with the church, but the scandal helped fuel discontent over the state funeral.

Thousands have protested the ceremony and a man set himself on fire last week near the prime minister's office, leaving notes reportedly expressing his objection to the event.

Some politicians from opposition parties are also boycotting the funeral.

The controversy has various causes, with some accusing Mr Kishida of unilaterally approving the funeral instead of consulting parliament, and others resentful of a nearly £11 million price tag.

It is also the legacy of Abe's divisive tenure, marked by persistent allegations of cronyism, and opposition to his nationalism and plans to reform the pacifist constitution.

Mr Kishida's government may be hoping the solemnity of the event, attended by an estimated 4,300 people including 700 foreign invitees, will drown out the controversy.

Kamala Harris, the US Vice President, and world leaders including Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, and Anthony Albanese, the Australian prime minister, were among those in attendance.

Theresa May, Britain's former prime minister, was also present.

Japan's emperor and empress were not present as neutral national figures, but Crown Prince Akishino and his wife were among the mourners offering flowers at the end of the 90-minute service.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/worl...sedgntp&cvid=e5f0cc76bdc946d5a8522e11d14c0969

 

[MenInG]

Thankfully not a repeat of the Shinzo Abe episode

==

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been evacuated unharmed from a public event after what appeared to be a smoke bomb was thrown at him.

A person was detained at the scene in Wakayama, where Mr Kishida had been due to give a speech, local media reported.

A witness said they saw a person throwing something, followed by smoke, while another said they heard a big bang. No injuries were reported.

Video showed officers piling on top of a person, believed to be a suspect.

Police say they have made an arrest, but have so far declined to comment further.

Japan's public broadcaster, NHK, quoted Mr Kishida as saying there was a "loud blast" at the venue. "Police are investigating details, but I'd like to apologise for worrying many people and causing them trouble."

NHK broadcast footage in which crowds of people appear to be running away from the scene.

The footage also shows people swarm around one man, hold him down, and then carry him away.

The person detained was arrested on suspicion of obstruction of business, the broadcaster also reported.

BBC