A man prays next to flowers placed at the site where the late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot while campaigning for a parliamentary election near Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara, western Japan, on July 8, 2022 .
Issy cut | Reuters
A steady stream of people visited the scene of the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the western city of Nara on Saturday, an unusual act of political violence that has shocked the nation.
Japan’s longest-serving modern leader was shot Friday morning by a 41-year-old man while delivering a campaign speech, denounced by the political establishment as an attack on democracy.
On the last day of campaigning before Sunday’s parliamentary election, an unusual security measure in Japan, a metal detector was installed at the site of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s stump speech in the city southwest of Tokyo, as well as increased police presence. Had happened.
“I’m just shocked that something like this happened in Nara,” housewife Natsumi Niwa, 50, said after offering flowers with her 10-year-old son near the murder scene at a downtown train station. ,
Abe, a conservative and the architect of “Abenomics” policies aimed at reviving the Japanese economy, inspired the name of his son, Masakuni, with his rallying cry for Japan as a “beautiful nation”, Niwa said. . “Kuni” means nation in Japanese.
More than 100 people queued in the afternoon to lay flowers on a table that contained a photo of Abe giving a speech, with more to come. Local officials were carrying some prasad to make room.
Japanese media said a night watch would be held on Monday, with Abe’s funeral on Tuesday, attended by close friends. There was no immediate word on any public memorial service.
Pedestrians are shown in front of a large public video screen showing an image of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, after he was shot dead in the city of Nara in Tokyo’s Akihabara district on July 8, 2022.
Toshifumi Kitamura | AFP | Getty Images
Police are trying to find out the motive and method of killing Abe.
Local media, citing police sources, reported that Tetsuya Yamagami, who was arrested soon after the attack, told police that he believed Abe was linked to a religious group to which he helped his mother financially. He was accused of ruining and breaking the family. Police have not identified the group.
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Campaigning resumed on the last day of campaigning before voting for the upper house of parliament, which is expected to give victory to the ruling coalition led by Abe Protector Kishida.
After making an emergency return to Tokyo on Friday in the wake of the shooting, Kishida returned to the campaign trail by visiting regional constituencies.
Analysts at the Eurasia Group, including David Bolling, 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. The 67-year-old legislator served as prime minister twice, stepping down on both occasions citing ill health.
“His health was improving so I was hoping he would have a third term,” said Tatsuya Futami, 49, in Nara. “He was still young as a politician – it’s a great shame.”
Police officers at the scene where former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot during a campaign event in Nara, Japan, on July 8, 2022. Abe was unresponsive after the attack, shocking a country where gun violence is rare.
Kosuke Okahara | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Abe’s death has raised questions about the safety of public figures in Japan, where politicians usually appeal directly to voters outside train stations and supermarkets during campaign season.
“A strong election performance could catalyze Kishida to pursue the unfulfilled goal of amending the Japanese Constitution to amend the Japanese constitution,” James Brady, vice president of advisory firm Teneo, wrote in a note.
Abe, a descendant of a political family who became Japan’s youngest prime minister after the war, was taken to Nara Hospital after a shootout. He lost consciousness and was declared brought dead five and a half hours after the late morning attack.
A convoy carrying the body of the slain politician is believed to have arrived at his Tokyo residence after leaving Nara Hospital early on Saturday. Kyodo reported that Kishida visited the residence.
NHK reported that Kishida spoke to US President Joe Biden on Saturday, who offered condolences and praised Abe’s leadership.
Abe was instrumental in the creation of the Quad Grouping aimed at countering China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific. Other members, the United States, India and Australia, expressed grief 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 statement said.