- The ruling coalition increases its majority in the upper house
- Hundreds pay their respects to the slain former prime minister at the temple
- Abe was gunned down on Friday in a crime that stunned the nation
- Controversial church says suspect’s mother is a follower
TOKYO/NARA, July 11 (Reuters) – Mourners flocked to a Tokyo temple to pay their respects to slain former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday after his assassination overshadowed an election victory for the ruling party he dominated.
Incumbent Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who has the chance to cement his own power after Sunday’s election gains, and US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen were among the hundreds following Abe, three days after he was shot dead at a campaign rally.
A private funeral for Abe, who resigned in 2020 and was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, is scheduled for Tuesday.
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“There is a deep sense of sadness at his loss,” Yellen told reporters outside the shrine, where she placed incense in Abe’s honor and greeted his family.
“Prime Minister Abe was a visionary leader and he strengthened Japan… I know his legacy will live on,” she added.
Abe’s shooting shocked a nation where political violence and gun crime are rare.
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 had made a “huge donation,” the Kyodo news agency reported, citing investigators.
The Unification Church, a controversial group known for its mass weddings and devoted followers, said Monday that the suspect’s mother was one of its members. Read more
Neither Abe nor Yamagami were members of the church, said Tomihiro Tanaka, president of its Japanese branch, adding that he would cooperate with police if asked. Read more
Reuters was not immediately able to contact Yamagami’s mother and could not determine whether she belonged to other religious organizations.
DARK VICTORY
In Sunday’s election, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its ruling coalition partner increased their majority in the upper house of parliament. With a majority in the lower house already in place, what would have been a festive mood at LDP headquarters under normal circumstances turned somber. Read more
A moment of silence was held for Abe in his memory, and Kishida’s face remained grim as he pinned rosettes next to the names of the winning candidates on a board in symbol of their victory.
Officials and mourners attend a vigil for the late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot while campaigning for a parliamentary election, at Zojoji Temple, in Tokyo, Japan July 11, 2022. REUTERS/Issei Kato
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Abe’s death drew condolences from leaders around the world, from Britain’s Queen Elizabeth to China’s Premier Xi Jinping.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with Kishida during a brief stopover on Monday to deliver messages of support on behalf of President Joe Biden.
Vice President William Lai became Taiwan’s most senior official to visit Japan in five decades as he made a private trip to Tokyo to pay his respects. Read more
A motorcade of black sedans, including several with diplomatic license plates, then dropped off dignitaries and families at Zojoji Temple in Tokyo, where the former prime minister’s body lay in state.
Dressed in black, some of the congregants wiped their brows as they queued under the steps leading up to the temple in the sultry evening air.
Part of the temple was also opened to members of the public who thronged to lay flowers. “I feel so sad that a prime minister who devoted himself to Japan died this way,” said Naoya Okamoto, 28, who works in construction.
“He was the prime minister who once again demonstrated to the world a strong Japan.
PARTY INFLUENCE
Abe remained influential in the LDP even after he stepped down in 2020, citing ill health.
The LDP and its junior partner Komeito won 76 of the 125 seats contested in the chamber, up from 69 previously. The LDP alone won 63 seats, compared to 55, to win a majority of contested seats, although it failed to achieve a simple majority on its own.
With no elections for another three years, Kishida, an Abe protégé, now has an unusually long time to try to implement his own agenda. That includes expanding defense spending and revising Japan’s pacifist constitution — a longtime dream of Abe’s. Read more
Abe led the largest faction in the LDP, and analysts said his death could lead to potential turmoil in the party that could challenge Kishida’s control.
Kishida told a news conference that he would tackle tough issues that Abe has been unable to resolve, such as revising the constitution, adding that he hoped to have discussions on the topic during the next session of parliament.
“We have gained strength from the voters for the stable governance of this nation,” Kishida told a news conference.
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Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama in Nara and Chang-ran Kim, Mariko Katsumura, Kiyoshi Takenaka and Andrea Shallal in Tokyo; Written by Elaine Lees, Simon Cameron-Moore and John Geddy; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell and Hugh Lawson
Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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