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TOKYO — The killing of former Japanese leader Shinzo Abe at a political rally on Friday shook a country where strict gun laws mean gun violence is almost unheard of, as a procession of mourners laid flowers, tea and sake near the site of the shooting to honor the country’s longest-serving prime minister.
An investigation has been launched into the gunman’s motives and the security measures that were put in place for Abe, who was attacked while tripping for a colleague from the center-right Liberal Democratic Party in Nara, near Osaka. The suspect, a 41-year-old unemployed man from Nara named Tetsuya Yamagami, told investigators he believed Abe was affiliated with a group he hated, police said.
Campaigning for Japan’s upper house resumed on Saturday, with candidates and deputies – including incumbent Prime Minister Fumio Kishida – back on the trail ahead of Sunday’s election. Abe’s ruling LDP, which has dominated Japanese politics since its founding in 1955, is expected to win. If the LDP retains or expands its control of the upper house, it would clear the way for Kishida, elected in October, to implement some of his most ambitious policy proposals.
Shinzo Abe, longtime Japanese leader, assassinated at 67
Akie Abe, the slain leader’s wife, returned to Tokyo from Nara on Saturday morning and Abe’s body was transported back in a hearse. No details have been released regarding funeral arrangements. Security around his Tokyo home had been tightened overnight with more police officers on the ground.
Little is known about the shooter and his motives. Yamagami was a member of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force for three years in his early 20s. Police found multiple homemade guns at his home on Friday.
Yamagami was arrested at the scene and admitted to shooting Abe with a homemade weapon, officials said. He told investigators that his mother went bankrupt after spending her money to support a religious group, according to Japan’s Mainichi Shimbun newspaper, citing police sources. Yamagami said he found out about Abe’s visit online and headed to the venue by subway on Friday, Mainichi reported.
Police declined to identify the group, citing the ongoing investigation.
Japan’s National Police Agency has launched an investigation into the security protocols that have been put in place for Abe, one of the country’s most recognizable political figures.
Abe was guarded by a team from the Nara Police Department and officers from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, according to Japan’s Jiji Press. Nara police said on Friday night that they had tried to provide security as they had only been notified of Abe’s presence the night before the event.
Kishida spoke by phone with President Biden on Saturday morning. After the shooting, Biden visited the residence of the Japanese ambassador in Washington and signed the book of condolences.
“On behalf of the Biden family and all of America, we extend our heartfelt condolences to the Abe family and the people of Japan,” Biden wrote. “This is a loss not only for his wife and family – and for the people of Japan, but also a loss for the world.” A man of peace and judgment – he will be missed.”
What are the gun laws in Japan? Abe’s killing shocked the nation, where shootings are rare.
Abe, 67, remained a power broker in his party even after he left office. He was a towering figure at home and abroad who came from a prominent political family. He was briefly first prime minister in 2006, making him the youngest person to become prime minister of post-war Japan.
He died Friday from blood loss less than five hours after being shot in the neck and chest. The killer fired twice and the second shot caused both wounds, police said — raising questions about what type of gun and ammunition the shooter used.
The shooting reverberated across the country, which has low crime rates and some of the world’s most restrictive gun laws. Firearms are scarce and so are fatal shootings, of which there was exactly one in all of 2021.
Last year, eight out of 10 shootings in Japan were linked to the yakuza, according to the National Police Agency, resulting in one death and four injuries.
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