TOKYO — Japanese went out to vote Sunday under the shadow of Shinzo Abe’s assassination. He was shot while giving a speech for the ruling party, which is on the verge of a major victory.
Police in Japan sent an alleged assassin, during Sunday’s voting, to a local prosecutor’s office to continue investigation and press murder charges. This was just a day after a senior regional officer acknowledged security flaws that allowed the attacker so close to the ex-influential Japanese leader.
Half of Japan’s upper house, which is the weaker of Japan’s two-chamber parliament, was polled in a country still reeling from the shock, sadness, and fear that Abe’s shooting caused.
Abe was shot in Nara, Japan on Friday. He was airlifted to hospital but succumbed to blood loss. A former member of Japan’s navy was arrested by police on the spot. His homemade gun was confiscated by police and several more were later discovered at his apartment.
Tetsuya Yamagami told investigators that he was motivated by Abe’s rumored connections to an organization he disliked, but had no issue with the former leader. According to media reports, the man was averse to a religious group his mother was obsessed with. This led him to bankrupt his family business.
Abe’s corpse was taken by Akie in a black hearse. He returned to Shibuya, Tokyo’s most prestigious residential area, with many mourners including Prime Minister Fumio, their predecessors, and top party officials. In the coming days, his wake and funeral will be held.
On Saturday, Nara’s prefectural police chief Tomoaki Onizuka said Abe’s assassination was the “greatest regret” of his 27-year career. He stated that security problems were not in doubt and that he was taking the incident seriously. He will also review the guarding procedures.
The nation was shocked by Abe’s assassination just before Sunday’s parliamentary elections. It raised concerns about whether adequate security was provided to the former prime minister.
Many observers who saw the video of the attack noticed a lack in attention behind Abe while he spoke.
Experts said Abe was more vulnerable standing at ground level than atop a campaign car, which is the standard for premier-class politicians. However, this option was apparently unavailable due to his hastily organized visit to Nara.
Professor of crisis management at Nihon University Mitsuru Fukuda said that police saw Abe looking forward and not paying much attention to Abe. He also noted that Abe was approaching Abe unnoticed until he fired his first shot.
Fukuda stated, “Clearly there were issues.”
Abe was only inches away from the first shot, which hit an electoral vehicle. The second shot, which he took from his upper left arm, caused massive bleeding and even death.
Fukuda stated that elections offer voters and politicians the chance to interact, as “political terror” is very rare in Japan postwar. This is a crucial democratic process. However, Abe’s assassination could lead to tighter security at crowd events such as sports games or campaigns.
When party leaders went out to make their final appeals, they found that there was no fist-touches – a Covid-19-era alternative to handshakes – or any other close-proximity friendly gestures.
Sunday’s election took on a new meaning after Abe’s assassination. All political leaders stressed the importance of free speech, and pledged not to resort to violence against democracy.
Kishida stated that violence should not be used to silence free speech during his last rally in Niigata, a northern city on Saturday amid increased security. “We must show that our democracy will not be beaten down by violence,”
Abe was still the prime minister of Japan, and he was its most influential figure. Experts believe that his absence could alter the power balance of the ruling party, which has ruled Japan almost indefinitely since 1955.
