Japan mourned this Saturday the death of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, killed the day before during a rally in the west of the country, where the police admitted “undeniable” security failures.
The assassination of Japan’s best-known politician shocked the country and reverberated around the world, given the archipelago’s low crime levels and strict gun laws.
The man accused of shooting Abe was arrested at the scene and, according to police, confessed to the crime and explained that he committed it thinking Abe was linked to an unidentified group. Several local media speak of a religious group.
The police are investigating the background of this unemployed 41-year-old man, including reports that he was a member of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, the Japanese navy, and indicated that he would have used an “apparently” homemade weapon.
At the time of the attack, Abe was making a campaign speech ahead of Sunday’s election for the upper house of parliament. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced on Friday that preparations for the election would continue as normal.
Kishida, a member like Shinzo Abe of the Liberal Democratic Party (PLD, nationalist right), participated on Saturday morning in a campaign rally in Yamanashi (west of Tokyo) before 600 people, and declared according to the Mainichi newspaper that “violence will not triumph over the word”.
The body of Shinzo Abe arrived at his home in Tokyo on Saturday afternoon, aboard a hearse in which Akie, his wife, was traveling, and which had left the Kashihara hospital at dawn, near Nara, where the former first minister had been driven mortally wounded.
barbaric act
Hit by two bullets in the neck, Abe was pronounced dead hours after the attack, despite the efforts of a team of 20 doctors.
Japanese media reported that the wake would be held on Monday night and a funeral on Tuesday with only those closest to Abe.
Abe’s death shocked the entire country, with his Prime Minister Fumio Kishida calling the assassination a “barbaric act” and “unforgivable.”
The murder was condemned around the world. US President Joe Biden said he was “shocked, outraged and deeply saddened.”
Yoon Suk-yeol, president of South Korea, a country with which Abe has had friction, called the assassination an “unacceptable act”, while the Chinese embassy in Japan praised Abe for his “contribution to improvement and development”. the relationships.
Since Friday, several people have gathered near the place where the attack took place. “I can’t believe something like this could happen in Japan,” Akira Takahashi, 54, told AFP. “There should have been more security members,” he added.
Undeniable security issues
Authorities said there were no threats against Abe, who was campaigning for his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) when he was attacked.
The images have circulated on television networks. Tetsuya Yamagami, the suspect, dressed in a gray shirt and brown pants, is shown approaching from behind Abe before pulling the gun out of a bag.
He apparently fired twice, each of which produced a cloud of smoke. Spectators and journalists crouched down, while security rammed him and threw him to the ground.
This Saturday, the Nara prefectural police chief admitted that there were “undeniable” failures in the security of the former prime minister
“I think it is undeniable that there were problems with the escort and security arrangements for former Prime Minister Abe,” Tomoaki Onizuka told reporters, promising to “fully analyze the problems and take appropriate action.”
The youngest “premiere”
Abe came from a political family and became the youngest post-war prime minister when he took office in 2006 at age 52.
His turbulent first term ended with his resignation for health reasons, but he returned to power in 2012 and held on until 2020, when he resigned after suffering ulcerative colitis again.
His nationalist views created division in the country, especially his desire to amend Japan’s pacifist constitution to recognize the country’s armed forces, and he faced numerous scandals, including allegations of favoring those close to him.
Others praised him for his economic strategy and his efforts to put Japan on the world stage.
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