Japan is struggling with shock and sadness, trying to come to terms with the shooting of former prime minister Shinzo Abe in a nation where firearms are strictly regulated and political violence extremely rare.
Abe, 67, was assassinated on Friday morning while making a speech during a campaign on behalf of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in the western Japanese city of Nara. He was taken to the Nara Medical University hospital in a critical condition and was later pronounced dead.
From Abe protege Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to ordinary people on social media, there was an outpouring of grief in a nation where political violence is so rare. The last time a former or sitting prime minister was killed was nearly 90 years ago.
The shooting of Abe was an unforgiveable act, Kishida said, condemning it in the “strongest terms” as having happened during an election exercise, one of the foundational elements of democracy. Politicians from across the spectrum in Japan condemned Abe’s murder and announced on Friday that they would stop campaigning ahead of today’s upper house elections.
Kishida said no decision had been taken on what effect the assassination might have on the scheduled vote. The attack has spurred domestic and international outrage. World leaders were quick to express their shock, condemn the assassination and offer their condolences and support.
Chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said one man, believed to be the shooter, had been taken into custody. Local media identified the man as 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, citing police sources, with several media outlets describing him as a former member of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, the country’s navy.
The two bullets that felled Abe came from a home-made shotgun, according to reports. Abe who left office two years ago, smashed records as Japan’s longestserving prime minister, championing ambitious economic reform and forging key diplomatic relationships while weathering scandals.
He was 52 when he first became prime minister in 2006, the youngest person to occupy the job in the postwar era. His first term was turbulent, plagued by scandals and discord, and capped by an abrupt resignation.
He was instrumental in winning the 2020 Olympics for Tokyo. Abe sought to lift the economy out of chronic deflation with his bold “Abenomics” policies, beef up the military and counter China’s growing clout.
After suggesting he was stepping down for political reasons, he announced he was suffering with ulcerative colitis. The debilitating condition necessitated months of treatment but Abe eventually overcome with new medication.
Japan’s revolving prime ministerial door brought him back to office in 2012. It ended a turbulent period in which prime ministers changed sometimes at the rate of one a year.