Assassination of Shinzo Abe

Assassination of Shinzo Abe
Abe in March 2022
Location	Near Yamato-Saidaiji Station, Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan
Coordinates	34°41′38.6″N 135°47′02.2″E
Date	8 July 2022 (2022-07-08) c. 11:30 JST (UTC+9:00)
Target	Shinzo Abe
Attack type	Assassination by shooting
Weapons	Homemade firearm
Deaths	Shinzo Abe

On 8 July 2022, Shinzo Abe, a former prime minister of Japan and a serving member of the House of Representatives, was assassinated while speaking at a political event outside Yamato-Saidaiji Station in the city of Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan. At approximately 11:30 a.m. JST (UTC+9), while delivering a campaign speech for a Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidate, Abe was shot from behind at close range by a homemade firearm. Abe was transported by medical helicopter to Nara Medical University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:03 p.m., five and a half hours after the shooting.

The suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami was arrested for attempted murder at the scene, which was later upgraded to murder after Abe's death. Yamagami told investigators that he had a grudge against the Unification Church and shot Abe because he believed Abe was close to the church. Yamagami said that his mother became involved with the group and went bankrupt, and he resented Abe for spreading the group's influence in Japan.

Leaders from many countries praised Abe's accomplishments while expressing shock and sadness at his death. His assassination was the first of a former Japanese prime minister since Saitō Makoto and Takahashi Korekiyo during the February 26 Incident in 1936, as well as the first of a former G7 leader since Italy's Aldo Moro in 1978.

Timeline

Background

Shinzo Abe was initially scheduled to deliver a speech in Nagano Prefecture on 8 July 2022 in support of Sanshirō Matsuyama, a Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidate in the upcoming elections to the House of Councillors. That event was abruptly canceled on 7 July following allegations of misconduct and corruption related to Matsuyama, and was replaced by a similar event in Nara Prefecture at which Abe was to deliver a speech in support of Kei Satō, an LDP councillor running for re-election. The LDP division in Nara Prefecture stated this schedule was not generally publicly known, but NHK reported that this event had been widely advertised on Twitter and by sound truck.

On 8 July 2022, at approximately 11:10 a.m., Satō began speaking at a road junction near the north exit of Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara City. Abe arrived nine minutes later, and began his speech at around 11:29 a.m. Members of the public listened from surrounding sidewalks.

Assassination

Yamato-Saidaiji Station, pictured in 2012

While Abe was delivering his speech outside Yamato-Saidaiji Station, the alleged perpetrator was able to approach within several meters, despite the presence of security. At around 11:30 a.m., Abe was shot twice from behind with a homemade gun resembling a sawed-off, double-barreled shotgun, and collapsed. The pellet projectiles struck Abe's heart. Abe's security detained the suspect, who did not resist.

Abe was initially conscious and communicative after being shot. Shortly thereafter, he was transported to a local hospital by emergency helicopter with a wound to the right side of his neck and internal bleeding under his left chest. He was reported to have no vital signs when he arrived at Nara Medical University Hospital in Kashihara, likely due to cardiopulmonary arrest prior to his arrival. At 2:45 p.m., a press conference was held by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who stated that Abe was in critical condition and that "doctors [were] doing everything they [could]".

Abe was pronounced dead at the hospital at 5:03 p.m., around five and a half hours after being shot. He was sixty-seven. Hidetada Fukushima, a doctor at the hospital, stated that the cause of Abe's death was blood loss, despite four hours of blood transfusions that saw the administration of 100 units of blood.

Abe was the first former Japanese prime minister to have been assassinated since Saitō Makoto and Takahashi Korekiyo, who were killed during the February 26 Incident in 1936, the first Japanese legislator to be assassinated since Kōki Ishii was killed by a member of a right-wing group in 2002, and the first Japanese politician to be assassinated during an electoral campaign since Iccho Itoh, then-mayor of Nagasaki, who was shot dead during his mayoral race in April 2007.

Aftermath

A crisis-management center was established at the prime minister's office. Kishida, who was campaigning in Sagae, Yamagata Prefecture, as of noon, canceled his remaining schedule and returned to the prime minister's office in Tokyo by 2:29 p.m. According to Hirokazu Matsuno, Chief Cabinet Secretary, all other members of Kishida's cabinet were recalled to Tokyo except Yoshimasa Hayashi, Foreign Affairs Minister, who was in Indonesia for the 2022 G20 Bali summit.

NHK General TV, and four out of five major Japanese commercial TV networks, canceled or postponed all scheduled programs to broadcast live news coverage for the rest of the day. The anime series Teppen—!!! had its second episode canceled due to including an assassination plot.

Most political leaders canceled all campaign events on 8 July after the attack. Campaigning resumed the day after, on 9 July, with major party leaders vowing to not allow the democratic process to be disrupted.

Suspect

Tetsuya Yamagami
山上徹也
Born	1980 or 1981 Mie Prefecture, Japan
Capture status	Arrested
Military career
Service/branch	Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
Years of service	2002–2005
Rank	Leading Seaman

Tetsuya Yamagami (Japanese: 山上徹也), a forty-one-year-old man living in Nara City, was arrested by Nara Prefectural Police at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder and was transferred to the Nara Nishi Police Station. He was described as being calm and having made no attempts to flee. Yamagami had no prior criminal history.

Yamagami was born in Mie Prefecture. Described as quiet and reserved in high school, Yamagami wrote in his graduation yearbook that he "didn't have a clue" what he wanted to do in the future. He joined the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) in August 2002, where he was dispatched to Kure Naval Base and assigned to the JS Matsuyuki. He was discharged from the JMSDF in August 2005 as a quartermaster with the rank of leading seaman. During his service, Yamagami had firearms training once every year.

In October 2020, Yamagami had started working as a forklift operator in Kyoto Prefecture for a manufacturer that operated in the Kansai region. There he was described as quiet before quitting in May 2022 after claiming that he was "feeling unwell". Yamagami was unemployed at the time of his arrest.

After his arrest, Yamagami told investigators that he has intended to kill Abe for personal reasons, with no political motive. He had stalked the former prime minister around various locations, including when Abe gave a campaign speech in Okayama Prefecture the day before the assassination. He also claimed that he held a grudge against a "particular religious group" and shot Abe because he believed that "the religious group and Abe were connected". It was later revealed that the religious group was the Unification Church. Yamagami stated that his mother had gone bankrupt as a result of being brainwashed by the religious group, and that he held Abe responsible for spreading the religion to Japan. He stated that he first planned to assassinate the head of the religious group, but later switched his target to Abe. Police initially refused to elaborate on the religious group, but then revealed as the Unification Church. Yamagami told police that he kept track of Abe's schedule during his visit to Nara City via Abe's website. He also claimed that he was planning an attack for "several months" and had built the weapon used in the shooting.

Police discovered several possible explosive devices and handmade guns similar to the one used to shoot Abe during a search of Yamagami's home following his arrest. They were later seized as evidence and taken by bomb disposal officers after nearby residents were evacuated. Websites about bomb-making and weapons manufacturing were discovered in Yamagami's browsing history.

Reactions

Domestic

Nara Medical University Hospital, where Abe was pronounced dead

Incumbent prime minister Fumio Kishida called the assassination an "unforgivable act" and an "act of cowardly barbarism". Noting that Abe was shot while delivering a campaign speech, Kishida also denounced the assassination as an attack on Japan's democracy and vowed to defend a "free and fair election at all costs".

Before Abe's death was announced, Governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, stated that "no matter the reason, such a heinous act is absolutely unforgivable. It is an affront against democracy." Kazuo Shii, chairman of the Japanese Communist Party, called the assassination "barbaric" and called it an attack on free speech and an act of terrorism in a post to Twitter.

Tomoaki Onizuka, head of Nara Prefecture Police, acknowledged security lapses at the political rally where Abe was killed, and pledged to identify and resolve the flaws, “It is undeniable that there were problems with the security for former prime minister Abe, and we will immediately identify the problems and take appropriate measures to resolve them”.

International

In response to the shooting and Abe's subsequent death, representatives of numerous countries, including present and former world leaders, expressed their condolences.

• Anthony Albanese, prime minister of Australia, said that Japan had emerged as "one of Australia's most like-minded partners in Asia" under Abe's leadership. Albanese also mentioned Abe's foreign policy contributions, adding that the "Quad and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership are in many ways the results of his diplomatic leadership". Albanese said that Abe's legacy was "one of global impact, and a profound and positive one for Australia". Landmarks in Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney and Perth were lit up in red and white, and flags were flown at half-mast on the day of the funeral.
• Jacinda Ardern, prime minister of New Zealand, recognized Abe as a "a statesman, someone who helped usher through complex negotiations like the CPTPP".
• US President Joe Biden ordered flags of the United States to be flown at half-staff until July 10, 2022.
• Jair Bolsonaro, President of Brazil, expressed "outrage and sadness" over the assassination and ordered three days of national mourning in Brazil.
• Narendra Modi, prime minister of India, announced that India would observe a day of national mourning on July 9. In accordance, the flag of India would be flown at half-mast.
• In Bangladesh, a day of state mourning was declared for 9 July. In accordance, the flag of Bangladesh will be flown at half-mast.
• Simultaneously with condolences sent by Taiwan and its leading political parties, Taipei 101 was illuminated in multiple messages mourning the death of Abe.
• The International Olympic Committee (IOC) president, Thomas Bach, recognized Abe for being instrumental in securing the 2020 Summer Olympics for Tokyo before his tenure ended in 2020 as well as his "vision, determination and dependability" that enabled the IOC to make an unprecedented decision to postpone the Olympics by a year. The Olympic flag will be flown in Lausanne at half-mast for three days.
• The European Council released a photo and video library in memory of Abe, featuring the former prime minister's diplomatic interactions with leaders across the EU.
• Releasing a joint statement, the leaders of the Quad nations of Australia, India, and the United States noted that the organization will redouble their work towards "a peaceful and prosperous region" in honor of Abe. The White House noted that Abe played a formative role in the founding of the Quad partnership and worked tirelessly to advance a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.
• The Kyiv Independent released an article praising Abe for his support of Ukraine, including sanctions against Russia for its 2014 invasion of Crimea and Abe's approval of a $1.5 Billion USD loan to Ukraine, despite his efforts to maintain better ties with Russia.
• Despite condolences sent by Chinese Communist Party leadership, many Chinese internet users did not show sympathy towards the assassination but rather unfavorable comments, which the Associated Press accredits to propaganda released by the CCP antagonizing right-wing Japanese politicians like Abe.

See also

• Assassination of Inejirō Asanuma
• List of assassinations in Japan