Assassination of Japan's Shinzo Abe stuns world leaders; shooter held

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving leader of modern Japan, was gunned down on Friday while campaigning for a parliamentary election, shocking a country where guns are tightly controlled and political violence almost unthinkable.

Abe, 67, was pronounced dead around five and a half hours after the shooting in the city of Nara. Police arrested a 41-year-old man and said the weapon was a homemade gun.

“I am simply speechless over the news of Abe’s death,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Abe’s protege, told reporters.

Earlier, as Abe still lay in hospital where doctors tried to revive him, Kishida struggled to keep his emotions in check.

“This attack is an act of brutality that happened during the elections — the very foundation of our democracy — and is absolutely unforgivable,” he said.

Abe had been making a campaign speech outside a train station when two shots rang out. Security officials were then seen tackling a man in a grey T-shirt and beige trousers.

“There was a loud bang and then smoke,” businessman Makoto Ichikawa, who was at the scene, told Reuters. “The first shot, no one knew what was going on, but after the second shot, what looked like special police tackled him.” Kyodo news service published a photograph of Abe lying face-up on the street by a guardrail, blood on his white shirt.

People were crowded around him, one administering heart massage.

Abe was taken to hospital in cardiopulmonary arrest and showing no vital signs. He was declared dead at 5.03 p.m. (08.03 GMT), having bled to death from deep wounds to the heart and the right side of his neck.

He had received more than 100 units of blood in transfusions over four hours, Hidetada Fukushima, the professor in charge of emergency medicine at Nara Medical University Hospital, told a televised news conference.

Nara police said the shooter, identified in the media as Tetsuya Yamagami, was a Nara resident and had worked at Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Forces for three years but now appeared to be unemployed. The police said they were investigating whether he had acted alone.

The suspect said he bore a grudge against a “specific organisation” and believed Abe was part of it, and that his grudge was not about politics, the police said, adding it was not clear if the unnamed organisation actually existed.

Past assassinations 

The last time a current or former Japanese prime minister was shot was 90 years ago. It’s a measure of just how rare and shocking gun violence is in the country, where gun ownership is strictly controlled.

There have been three instances when the country’s leader has been killed while in office — Takashi Hara in 1921, Osachi Hamaguchi in 1930 and Tsuyoshi Inukai in 1932. 

Chinese celebrate

Chinese nationalists celebrated the death of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Weibo. Weibo was full of comments about Chinese people rejoicing after Abe was shot in Nara.

One user called the shooter a “hero”.

Meanwhile, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said China was “shocked” by the “sudden incident” when being asked to comment on the shooting of Japanese former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Zhao Lijian told the daily news conference on Friday that China is following the development of the situation and hoped that former Prime Minister Abe will be out of danger and recover swiftly. He also expressed sympathy for Abe’s family.

Who shot him and why?

In a country where gun violence is rare, the murder of former Japanese leader Shinzo Abe is raising big questions about the shooter and his motive. Here’s what we know based on media reports and official statements

What happened?

Abe had just begun a campaign speech in the western city of Nara on Friday when he was shot from behind, from a distance of about three meters. Two gunshots were heard. Moments later security personnel tackled a man to the floor. He was wearing a gray t-shirt, khaki trousers and a face mask.

Who was the shooter?

The gunmen has been identified as Tetsuya Yamagami, a 41-year-old former member of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force — Japan’s navy — who was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. 

What has the suspect said?

The arrested man told police he was “frustrated” with Abe and had planned to kill him, broadcaster NHK reported. But he claimed not to have attacked the former PM over his political beliefs. 

What weapon did he use? 

The gun had been homemade and a close-up shot of the weapon on the floor appeared to show it taped together.

Abenomics is a blend of words — “Abe” and “Economics”. It refers to the economic policies advocated by Shinzo Abe. In early 2013, after two decades of economic stagnation, Abe unveiled a comprehensive economic policy package to sustainably revive the Japanese economy. 

A three-pronged strategy

According to experts, Abenomics is based on the “three arrows” of — aggressive monetary policy, flexible fiscal policy, and growth strategy, including structural reform. These were  aimed at bringing in more private investments. Specific policies, such as inflation targeting at a 2% annual rate, correction of the excessive yen appreciation, setting negative interest rates, radical quantitative easing, expansion of public investment, buying operations of construction bonds by Bank of Japan , and revision of the Bank of Japan Act were adopted as a part of this policy.