NARA/TOKYO: Police on Saturday acknowledged security flaws in the Japanese city of Nara, where former prime minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated, as a motorcycle carrying his body arrived at his home in the capital, Tokyo.
Mourners gathered at his residence and at the scene of Friday’s tragedy in the western city of Nara, where Japan’s longest-serving modern-day leader was shot in a rare act of political violence while giving a campaign speech .
Police arrested a 41-year-old man soon after Abe was shot with a homemade gun. The local police force, which was conducting the operation, said on Saturday that there were lapses in the security arrangements.
“We can’t deny that there were problems with the security plan, seeing as how things ended,” Nara Prefectural Police Chief Tomoaki Onizuka told a news conference.
Police officers stand guard in front of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s residence in Tokyo, Saturday, July 9, 2022. (AP)
“I feel a serious sense of responsibility,” he said, adding that police would analyze exactly what went wrong and that any necessary changes would be implemented.
Dignitaries in Japan often travel with minor security details focused primarily on direct physical threats, rather than heavily armed personnel for firearm attacks seen in places such as the United States.
On Friday, Nippon television quoted Nara police as saying that Abe was being guarded at the rally by an armed special police officer and some other local officials. Nara Police declined to say how many police officers were handling Abe’s security.
election sunday
Elections for seats in Japan’s upper house of parliament are being held as scheduled on Sunday, with the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expected to win.
After making an emergency return to Tokyo on Friday after the shooting, Kishida returned to the campaign trail by visiting regional constituencies.
A metal-detecting scanner, not usually seen at election events in largely crime-free Japan, was installed at a site in the city of Fujiyoshida where Kishida was about to give a campaign speech. Heavy police force was also present.
In Nara, about 450 km (280 mi) southwest of Tokyo, a stream of people queued up to lay flowers on a table next to a picture of Abe.
Housewife Natsumi Niwa, 50, laid flowers with her 10-year-old son near the murder scene outside a downtown train station, saying, “I’m just shocked that something like this happened in Nara.” ,
Niwa said that Abe, a conservative and the architect of “Abenomics” policies aimed at refueling the economy, had inspired the name of his son Masakuni. Abe called Japan a “beautiful nation”. “Kuni” means nation in Japanese.
There will be night awakening on Monday. Media said Abe’s funeral will take place on Tuesday, which will be attended by close friends. There was no immediate word on any public memorial service.
Police were gathering information about the suspect’s motive and his preparedness for the crime.
Police told local media on Saturday that the suspect believed the former Japanese leader was linked to a religious group he accused of causing economic ruin to his mother.
Media reported that he spent months plotting the attack, even taking part in Abe’s other campaign events, including some 200 km (miles) away the day before.
Analysts said the gun they used was easy to make from readily available materials such as wood and metal pipes, showing the difficulty of eliminating such threats even in a country where strict laws mean That it is rare for civilians to buy or own a firearm.
big turnout expected
Analysts at the Eurasia Group wrote in a note that Abe’s killing “raises the prospect of a stronger turnout and greater support for his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).”
The LDP, where Abe retained considerable influence, was already expected to win the seat before the assassination. Abe, 67, served as prime minister twice, stepping down on both occasions citing poor health.
But he remains a Member of Parliament and an influential leader in the LDP after stepping down for the second time in 2020.
James Brady, vice president of advisory firm Teneo, wrote in a note that a strong electoral performance of the LDP “could catalyze Kishida to pursue the unfulfilled goal of amending the Constitution of Japan to amend the Constitution of Japan.”
Kishida visited Abe’s residence in Tokyo on Saturday, accompanied by mourners including flowers and party officials, who bowed down to carry his body, the Kyodo news agency reported.
Abe’s death has sparked political division and mourning from around the world.
The Quad, a group of countries aimed at countering China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region, which Abe was instrumental in establishing, expressed shock over the killing in a joint statement.
“We will honor Prime Minister Abe’s memory by doubling down on our work towards a peaceful and prosperous region,” the group said, which includes Japan, India, Australia and the United States.
Chinese President Xi Jinping also paid tribute to Abe, who said he worked hard to improve relations between the neighbours, Chinese state media reported.