Foreign

Shinzo Abe Killing: Japan Police Faults Security

By Web News 357

Japanese police have admitted there were flaws in the security for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot dead in the southern city of Nara on Friday.

“It is undeniable that there were problems in the security,” said Nara police chief Tomoaki Onizuka.

A gunman opened fire on Abe at a political campaign event – a crime that has profoundly shocked Japan.

Sunday’s elections for the upper house are going ahead as planned.

Voting began at 07:00 local time, 22:00GMT, just two days after Abe’s assassination.

Analysts suggest his killing could boost support for the governing Liberal Democratic Party, LDP , for which Abe was a leading and hugely influential figure.

Elections for Japan’s less-powerful upper house of parliament are typically seen as a referendum on the current government.

Campaigning continued on Saturday with tighter than usual security.

Police say the suspect, named as Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, held a grudge against a “specific organisation”.

Japanese media quote sources close to the investigation, who say Yamagami believed Abe to be linked to a religious group which, Yamagami alleged, had ruined his mother financially.

The suspect has admitted shooting Abe with a homemade gun, according to police.

“The urgent matter is for us to conduct a thorough investigation to clarify what happened,” police chief Onizuka said, without specifying where he saw failings. He was on the verge of tears, addressing journalists.

Yamagami told police he had served in Japan’s navy, the Maritime Self-Defense Force, for three years. More recently, he had worked at a factory in western Japan.

Abe was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister and died aged 67. He was campaigning for the LDP in the run-up to upper house parliamentary elections on Sunday.

Current Prime Minister Fumio 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.

Gun violence is extremely rare in Japan, where handguns are banned and incidences of political violence are almost unheard of.

Police are investigating why Abe was targeted and whether his killer acted alone.

Abe was giving a speech on behalf of a political candidate at a road junction when he was shot from behind. Photos show the suspect standing close to Abe moments beforehand.

Witnesses described seeing a man carrying a large gun moving within a few metres of Abe and firing twice. The former prime minister fell to the ground as bystanders screamed in shock and disbelief.


BBC /Taiwo Akinola

Foreign

Japanese Ex-PM Shinzo Abe Assassinated

By Web News 343

Japan’s former Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe has died in hospital after he was shot at a political campaign event, say local media.

Mr Abe was shot at twice while he was giving a speech in the southern city of Nara on Friday morning.

He immediately collapsed and was rushed to the nearest hospital. Pictures taken at the scene showed him bleeding.

Security officials at the scene tackled the gunman, and the 41-year-old suspect is now in police custody.

In an emotional press conference earlier, Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida condemned the attack, saying: “It is barbaric and malicious and it cannot be tolerated.”

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency had earlier confirmed that Mr Abe had a bullet wound on the right of his neck, and also suffered subcutaneous bleeding under the left part of his chest.

It is unclear if both shots hit him, or if a bullet hit him on the neck and travelled elsewhere.

Mr Abe was said to be conscious and responsive in the minutes after the attack, but the 67-year-old’s situation later deteriorated and he had to receive a blood transfusion in hospital, according to reports.

Eyewitnesses said they saw a man carrying what they described as a large gun and firing twice at Mr Abe from behind.

Security officers detained the attacker, who made no attempt to run, and seized his weapon which was reportedly a handmade gun.

The suspect has been identified as Nara resident, Tetsuya Yamagami. Local media reports say he is believed to be a former member of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force, Japan’s equivalent of a navy.

In the meantime, some world leaders have been reacting to the assassination of Mr Abe, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply distressed by the attack” and described Abe as a “dear friend”.

Australia Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese said his country’s “thoughts are with Abe’s family and the people of Japan at this time”.

Lee Hsien Loong, of Singapore, shared a post on Facebook describing the shooting as a “senseless act of violence”. He also described Abe as “a good friend of Singapore”.

New Zealand’s leader, Jacinda Ardern recalled Abe was one of the first world leaders she met when she became Prime Minister and she said “Events like this shake us all to the core.”

Mr Abe, who was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, held office in 2006 for a year and then again from 2012 to 2020, before stepping down citing health reasons.

BBC/ Oluwayemisi Owonikoko