Shinzo Abe: Japan ex-leader’s alleged killer held grudge against group – police

Shinzo Abe: Japan ex-leader's alleged killer held grudge against group - police

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Police investigating the assassination of Japan’s ex-prime minister Shinzo Abe have mentioned the suspect held a grudge against a “specific organisation”.

The alleged gunman, named as Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, believed Abe was part of the group plus shot him for that reason, they said, without naming the group.

Abe passed away in hospital on Friday morning after being shot while speaking at an electoral camapaign event.

Tetsuya Yamagami has admitted capturing him with a homemade gun, police stated.

Abe was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister and his death when justin was 67 has in a big way shocked a country where gun criminal offense is very rare.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he was “simply speechless” in the news of Abe’s death, vowing that Japan’s democracy would “never yield to violence”.

Police continue to be investigating whether his killer acted only and why Abe was targeted out of other people related to the particular unnamed organisation.

Suspect stood behind Abe as ex-PM gave speech

Abe was giving a speech for a politics candidate at a street junction in the southern city of Nara when the attacker struck from behind.

Witnesses described a man carrying a huge gun move inside a few metres associated with Abe and fire twice at the previous PM, who dropped to the ground as bystanders screamed in shock and disbelief.

Photos circulating in the aftermath of the shooting showed the particular suspect standing just behind Abe when he gave his conversation.

Security officers dived on to the gunman who have made no try to run after he fired on Abe.

The particular weapon that wiped out the politician was made using steel and wood, officers said, and appeared to be wrapped in duct tape.

Several other handmade guns and explosives were later found at the suspect’s house.

Abe suffered 2 bullet wounds to his neck throughout the attack and also experienced damage to his coronary heart.

He was said to be conscious plus responsive in the mins after the attack, but doctors said no vital signs had been detected by the time the former prime minister had been transferred for therapy.

Medics worked all day to save him and Abe received more than 100 units of blood in transfusions, before he was pronounced dead from 5. 03pm nearby time (0803 GMT).

The weapon

Reuters

The politician was out advertising for his previous party, the Generous Democratic Party, in the run-up to polls on Sunday.

Upon Japanese social media, the hashtag “We really want democracy, not violence” was trending all through Friday, with many social media marketing users expressing their own horror and disgust about the incident.

Gun violence is extremely rare within Japan , where handguns are banned and incidents associated with political violence are usually almost unheard of.

In 2014, there were just six incidents of gun fatalities in Japan, as compared to 33, 599 in america. People have to undergo the strict exam plus mental health lab tests in order to buy a weapon. Even then, only shotguns and atmosphere rifles are allowed.

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How the attack unfolded

Shinzo Abe stepping up to speak moments before he was shot

Reuters

  • Abe was campaigning in the southern city of Nara – around three hundred miles (480km) through the capital city, Tokyo – for a parliamentary election on Weekend
  • He was giving the speech for politics candidate Kei Sato – a member from the Upper House operating for re-election in Nara
  • At 11: thirty local time (02: 30 GMT) photos rang out and Abe was shot twice in the neck
  • He immediately collapsed and was rushed towards the nearest hospital
  • Security authorities at the scene undertaken the gunman, who may be now in guardianship
  • An unidentified weapon was filmed on the ground following the attack
  • After four hours of treatment, Abe was pronounced dead at 17: 03 local time (08: 03 GMT)

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Abe, who was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, kept office in 06\ for a year however from 2012 to 2020, before stepping down, citing health factors.

He later on revealed that he had suffered a relapse of ulcerative colitis, an intestinal condition.

While he is at office, he pressed more assertive guidelines on defence plus foreign policy together long sought in order to amend Japan’s pacifist post-war constitution.

He also pressed for an economic policy that came to be known as “Abenomics” , built upon monetary easing, fiscal stimulus and structural reforms.

He had been succeeded by his close party best friend Yoshihide Suga, who was later replaced simply by Fumio Kishida.

Police officer confronting gunman

Asahi  Shimbun/Reuters

‘Despicable attack’

Prominent sounds across the world condemned the incident, with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling it a “despicable attack”.

US Chief executive Joe Biden stated he was “stunned, outraged, and seriously saddened” by the murder, calling it “a tragedy for The japanese and for all who else knew him”.

In Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro declared 3 days of national mourning, expressing outrage and sadness, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Abe as a global statesman.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol called the attack a good “unacceptable act of crime” and extended condolences to “the Japanese people for having lost their longest-serving prime minister plus a respected politician”.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said his nation was shocked from the attack.

He additional that “this unforeseen incident should not be associated with Sino-Japanese relations” together no comment when asked about Chinese social media reaction.

Comments gloating over the attack on Mr Abe have dominated Chinese social media and have also surfaced on Korean systems.

China and Southern Korea have historically had complicated plus fraught relationships with Japan. Abe, known for his military hawkishness, was unpopular along with citizens of both countries during his term in workplace.