36 votes

Shinzo Abe, Japan's former prime minister, assassinated at a campaign stop

Posted by aditya
Tags: japan, crime, politics, shootings, prime ministers, shinzo abe, assassination, deaths, author.satoshi sugiyama, author.chang ran kim
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-ex-prime-minister-abe-may-have-been-shot-taken-hospital-nhk-2022-07-08/

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Title
Japan ex-prime minister Abe may have been shot, taken to hospital - NHK
Authors
Reuters
Published
Jul 8 2022
Word count
71 words

4 comments

  1. [2]
    CALICO
    (edited )
    Link
    https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20220708/k10013707601000.html https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/9d9e79465d309ab265b2c36888d6a1b35e515e4e Looking at photos and video, weapon is a homemade...
    • Exemplary

    複数の防衛省関係者によりますと山上容疑者は2005年ごろまで3年間、海上自衛隊で勤務していたということです。
    According to several Defense Ministry officials, the suspect had served in the Maritime Self-Defense Force for three years until around 2005.

    https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20220708/k10013707601000.html

    安倍晋三元首相銃撃の山上容疑者「安倍元首相に不満があり、殺そうと思って狙った」と供述
    Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's shooting suspect Yamagami stated, "I was dissatisfied with former Prime Minister Abe and aimed to kill him."

    https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/9d9e79465d309ab265b2c36888d6a1b35e515e4e

    Looking at photos and video, weapon is a homemade double-barrel shotgun, possibly using black powder as opposed to a more modern smokeless powder.

    Cannot find much information about the attacker, Tetsuya Yamagami (山上徹也), at this time—the name is shared with at least one academic, and a number of other unrelated individuals.

    I haven't yet found a source claiming a plausible motivation, though some Japanese discussion forums on the internet are placing blame on everyone from both North & South Korea, to Soka Gakkai, to Japanese Imperialists, and Japanese Leftists. Nothing really to latch on to, at this time.

    What a fucking mess. I look forward to more reliable information as it comes out.

    13 votes
    1. CALICO
      Link Parent
      17:57 JST https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20220708/k10013707681000.html https://mainichi.jp/articles/20220708/k00/00m/040/251000c

      安倍晋三元首相死亡 奈良県で演説中に銃で撃たれる
      Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dead, shot while giving a speech in Nara Prefecture.

      17:57 JST
      https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20220708/k10013707681000.html

      特定の宗教団体幹部の名前を挙げ、「この幹部を狙うつもりだった」という趣旨の供述をしていることも判明。ただ、この幹部は現場にはいなかったとされる。意味が通らない供述を繰り返しており、奈良県警は刑事責任能力を慎重に調べている。
      It was also learned that he named a specific religious group leader and stated that he had intended to target this leader. However, it is said that this executive was not at the scene. He has repeatedly made statements that do not make sense, and the Nara Prefectural Police are carefully investigating his criminal responsibility.

      https://mainichi.jp/articles/20220708/k00/00m/040/251000c

      10 votes
  2. silfilim
    Link
    Wow. I feel shaken more than anything in recent memory. Definitely did not expect something like this to hit my homeland, but then, fatal attack against a national leader isn't entirely out of...

    Wow. I feel shaken more than anything in recent memory. Definitely did not expect something like this to hit my homeland, but then, fatal attack against a national leader isn't entirely out of 'brand' for Japan, considering that it hasn't been more than a century since the May 15th incident.

    I hadn't particularly liked or disliked Mr. Abe. The grievance I feel is from knowing that someone was forced to go through a sudden and presumably painful death and that there was someone who directed their animosity toward a specific person to cause this death. My mind is reeling to try to understand it all.

    12 votes
  3. cfabbro
    Link
    I edited the title here to match the updated headline on Reuters, now that Abe has been pronounced dead. And it's also no longer a "short read" since they have added more information to the article.

    I edited the title here to match the updated headline on Reuters, now that Abe has been pronounced dead. And it's also no longer a "short read" since they have added more information to the article.

    9 votes