Shinzo Abe: Japan police chief resigns over ex-PM assassination

Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. Reuters

Japan’s police chief has said he will resign on the killing of previous prime minister Shinzo Abe.

Itaru Nakamura, head of the national police agency, said he wanted to take responsibility for the July 8 shooting.

An investigation has discovered there were serious imperfections in how the ex-PM was protected.

Mister Abe was photo while speaking at a political campaign event within the city of Nara.

The 41-year-old gunman was able to walk up at the rear of Mr Abe and capture him with a home made gun as he was providing a speech.

The particular 67-year-old suffered 2 bullet wounds in order to his neck plus damage to his coronary heart, doctors said.

Local police have already acknowledged “undeniable” flaws in security intended for Mr Abe.

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“In the process of confirming our new security plan, we have come to realise that our security duties would need a brand new start, ” Mr Nakamura told the news conference as he announced his resignation.

Mr Abe was Japan’s best-known politician and longest-serving prime minister, but security was comparatively light as he shipped a stump talk on a street in the western region.

Protection experts who have evaluated footage of the attack have previously informed news agency Reuters that bodyguards could have saved Mr Abe by shielding him or pulled him from the line of fire in the 2 . five seconds between the missed first shot and the second, fatal round of gunfire.

The suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, was arrested at the scene and admitted to shooting Mr Abe, law enforcement have said.

He confessed that he targeted Mr Abe due to his belief that he was associated with a religious team – which Yamagami said had financially ruined his mother.

Learning much more on our coverage associated with Shinzo Abe’s dying