Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot on Friday in the southern city of Nara, and the Japanese police have acknowledged that there were security problems.
Tomoaki Onizuka, the chief of Nara’s police department, stated that “it is apparent that there were difficulties in the security.”
At a political campaign event, Abe was shot by a gunman, committing a crime that has shaken Japan to its core.
The upper house elections on Sunday went off without a hitch.
Just two days after Abe’s death, at 7:00 local time (22:00 GMT on Saturday), voting opened and ended.
Exit polls indicated that the incumbent Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), of which Prime Minister Abe is a prominent and enormously influential member, and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, were likely to keep their seats in power.
As party members awaited the outcome, a moment of silence for Abe was observed at the LDP’s Tokyo headquarters, according to Reuters.
Elections for Japan’s lower house of parliament, which has less authority, are frequently viewed as a vote on the ruling party. However, a significant victory for the LDP would improve the ability of the present prime minister to enact his important goals, such as doubling defence spending.
Suspect harboured animosity
Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, the suspect, allegedly had resentment for a “particular organisation,” according to the police.
According to individuals close to the probe, according to Japanese media, Yamagami thought Abe was associated with a sect that, in his words, had financially wrecked his mother.
Police said the guy has admitted using a makeshift gun to shoot Abe.
Police chief Onizuka stated, “The pressing problem is for us to conduct a comprehensive inquiry to understand what transpired,” without elaborating on the shortcomings he identified. He was speaking to media while on the edge of tears.
Yamagami claimed to have spent three years in the Maritime Self-Defense Force, a branch of the Japanese navy. He had most recently worked in an industrial setting in western Japan.
Abe, who served as Japan’s prime minister the longest, passed away at age 67. In preparation for Sunday’s upper house parliamentary elections, he was running a campaign for the LDP.
Fumio Kishida, the country’s current prime minister and an LDP member, declared himself “absolutely flabbergasted” and vowed that Japan’s democracy “would never bow to violence.”
In Japan, where handguns are prohibited and political violence is nearly unheard of, gun violence is incredibly uncommon.
Police are looking into whether Abe’s killer acted alone and why he singled out Abe.
Abe was shot from behind while delivering a speech at a traffic light on behalf of a political candidate. Photos from the moment before show the suspect standing close to Abe.
Witnesses reported seeing a man with a big gun approach Abe from behind and fire twice. As onlookers screamed in amazement and disbelief, the former prime minister collapsed to the ground.
Crude firearm Security guards jumped on the shooter, who didn’t try to flee.
The crudely constructed twin-barrelled firearm that killed Abe was built out of wood and metal and was taped shut with heavy-duty black tape.
At the suspect’s home, other homemade weapons and explosives were eventually discovered.
Abe was taken to the hospital while bleeding heavily from a neck wound.
In the moments following the attack, he was said to be alert and responding, but by the time he was moved for treatment, medics claimed no vital signs had been found.
Before he was officially declared dead on Friday at 17:03 local time (08:03 GMT), doctors tried for hours to save him.
The hashtag “We want democracy, not violence” was trending throughout Friday on Japanese social media, with many users expressing their anger and outrage at the event.
In Japan, there were only six gun-related fatalities in 2014, compared to 33,599 in the US. To purchase a firearm, a person must pass a rigorous examination and a mental health test. Only shotguns and air rifles are permitted even then.
Before resigning due to health concerns in 2020, Abe served in office for one year in 2006, one year in 2012, and one year in 2020.
He has long campaigned to modify Japan’s pacifist post-war constitution and pushed for more robust defence and foreign policy while in government.
Additionally, he promoted an economic strategy known as “Abenomics,” which was based on monetary easing, fiscal stimulus, and structural changes.
(Source: International Agency)