Who Killed Shinzo Abe: Shinzo Abe, a former Japanese prime minister, passed away on Friday (July 8), after being shot in Nara, Japan, by Tetsuya Yamagami, 41.
Few details about Yamagami were immediately available, however he had previously served in the Japanese navy’s Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). Abe, the longest-serving prime minister of Japan, was shot in the chest during a public event, and his condition remained critical for a few hours. A Reuters story claims that this is the first assassination of a current or past prime of Japan in about 100 years.
Who is Tetsuya Yamagami?
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Security personnel on the scene quickly after the incident captured Tetsuya Yamagami, and a firearm was found nearby. Yamagami was detained by police on suspicion of trying to kill someone, according to the Japanese news outlet NHK World.
According to NHK, Yamagami allegedly admitted to killing the former prime minister because he was “dissatisfied” with him. He said that he “did not detest Abe’s political convictions,” though.
According to an AP report, he was answering inquiries quietly. According to the AP, he claimed that he had planned to kill Abe because of “rumors about the former leader’s link to a particular organization that police did not name.”
Police claimed he had a homemade weapon. When they raided Yamagami’s adjoining one-room flat, they seized identical weaponry as well as his personal computer, according to the AP. According to NHK, residents in the area were advised to leave.
Yamagami, who shot Abe, resides in Nara City. Most of the elected politicians in Nara are from Abe’s party, the Liberal Democratic Party, which has dominated Japanese politics since 1955 with the exception of a few brief periods.
Yamagami did not appear to be politically engaged, according to The Japan Times, which cited a source from his former employer. The insider was cited as claiming that he had left his position at a manufacturing company in May due to health concerns after working there since 2020.
What is Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force?
The force, also known as the Japanese navy, is based on the National Security Strategy authorized in December 2013 and the National Defense Program Guidelines (NDPG) approved in December 2018, according to its official website.
The JMSDF carries out operations in order to achieve the “following three goals: 1) Defend Japan’s territory and adjacent territories, 2) Secure the safety of maritime commerce, and 3) Create ideal security environment.”
Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution technically limits the military, but since 1954, the nation has maintained a “Self Defence Force” with a sizable force of men and weapons. The Japanese people “forever renounce war as a sovereign prerogative of the nation and the threat or use of force as a way of resolving international conflicts,” according to a portion of Article 9.
How prevalent is gun violence in Japan?
The pistol used in the shooting appeared to have been constructed using 3D printing at first, according to images taken at the site.
According to later reports, it was thought to be homemade. The weapon in use appeared to have been put together using two pipes. Witnesses reported that the gunfire sounded like explosions.
Because of Japan’s tight gun prohibitions, gun shootings are uncommon and mass shootings are unheard of. An applicant has to “attend an all-day session, take a written exam, and pass a shooting-range test with a mark of at least 95 percent,” according to a 2017 BBC article, in order to obtain access to a weapon.
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