Assassination of Shinzo Abe

"Abe assassination" redirects here. Not to be confused with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

Assassination of Shinzo Abe
Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station, several hours after the shooting
Map
Locationnear Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan
Coordinates34°41′38.6″N 135°47′02.2″E / 34.694056°N 135.783944°E / 34.694056; 135.783944
Date8 July 2022; 2 years ago (2022-07-08)
c. 11:30 am (JST)
TargetShinzo Abe
Attack type
Assassination by shooting
WeaponsHomemade firearm[1][a]
MotiveGrudge against the Unification Church, with which Abe was connected[2]
AccusedTetsuya Yamagami
Charges

On 8 July 2022, Shinzo Abe, a former prime minister of Japan and serving member of the Japanese House of Representatives, was assassinated while speaking at a political event outside Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara City, Nara Prefecture.[3][4][5] Abe was delivering a campaign speech for a Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidate when he was fatally shot by 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami with an improvised firearm.[1] Abe was transported via medical helicopter to Nara Medical University Hospital in Kashihara, where he was pronounced dead.[6]

Leaders from many nations expressed shock and dismay at Abe's assassination,[7] which was the first of a former Japanese prime minister since Saitō Makoto and Takahashi Korekiyo during the 26 February incident in 1936, as well as the first of a major political figure in Japan since Inejiro Asanuma's assassination in 1960.[8] Prime Minister Fumio Kishida decided to hold a state funeral for Abe on 27 September.[9] Yamagami was arrested at the scene and charged with attempted murder, which was upgraded to murder after Abe's death was confirmed. Yamagami told investigators that he had shot Abe in relation to a grudge he held against the Unification Church (UC), a new religious movement to which Abe and his family had political ties, over his mother's bankruptcy in 2002.[2]

The assassination brought scrutiny from Japanese society and media against the UC's alleged practice of pressuring believers into making exorbitant donations.[10] Japanese dignitaries and legislators were forced to disclose their relationship with the UC, and Kishida was forced to reshuffle his cabinet amid plummeting public approval.[11][12] On 31 August, the LDP announced that it would no longer have any relationship with the UC and its associated organisations, and would expel members who did not break ties with the group.[13] On 10 December, the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors passed two bills to restrict the activities of religious organisations such as the UC and provide relief to victims.[14]

Abe's killing has been described as one of the most effective and successful political assassinations in recent history due to the backlash against the UC that it provoked. The Economist remarked that "... Yamagami's political violence has proved stunningly effective ... Political violence seldom fulfils so many of its perpetrator's aims."[15] Writing for The Atlantic, Robert F. Worth described Yamagami as "among the most successful assassins in history."[16]

  1. ^ a b Kim, Chang-Ran (8 July 2022). "Shinzo Abe's assassin used a handmade firearm". Reuters. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  2. ^ a b Fisher, Marc (12 July 2022). "How Abe and Japan became vital to Moon's Unification Church". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  3. ^ "Man taken into custody after former Japanese PM Abe Shinzo collapses". NHK World. 8 July 2022. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  4. ^ "Former Japanese PM Abe Shinzo showing no vital signs after apparently being shot". NHK World. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  5. ^ "Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe shot dead". CNN. 8 July 2022. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kyodo 2022-07-08 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Reactions to Shinzo Abe shooting". Reuters. 8 July 2022. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  8. ^ "Giappone, l'ex premier Shinzo Abe ucciso in un attentato" [Japan, former premier Shinzo Abe killed in an attack] (in Italian). Il Sole 24 Ore. 8 July 2022. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  9. ^ 【解説】安倍元首相の国葬 生活に影響も ... 「弔問外交」G7からは"元職"目立つ？ [[Commentary] Former Prime Minister Abe's state funeral will have an impact on people's lives... Will former officials stand out in the G7 in "condolence diplomacy"?] (in Japanese), Nippon TV, 21 September 2022, retrieved 26 September 2022 – via Yahoo News
  10. ^ TBS NEWS DIG Powered by JNN (4 August 2022). 旧統一教会と政治家 選挙支援どこまで [How far does the former Unification Church and politicians go in supporting elections?] (in Japanese). Tokyo Broadcasting System. Retrieved 31 July 2022 – via YouTube.
  11. ^ TBS NEWS DIG Powered by JNN (4 August 2022). 新たに31人が旧統一教会と関係 進まぬ多様性 政治と宗教の距離 [31 new members connected to former Unification Church: stagnation of diversity and distance between politics and religion] (in Japanese). Tokyo Broadcasting System. Retrieved 8 August 2022 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ "Japanese economic minister steps down over church links". Reuters. 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  13. ^ 旧統一教会と関係絶てない議員「同じ党で活動できない」自民党・茂木幹事長 [LDP Secretary-General Motegi: "Lawmakers who cannot cut ties with the former Unification Church cannot work in the same party"] (in Japanese). Yahoo news Japan. 31 August 2022. Archived from the original on 31 August 2022.
  14. ^ 旧統一教会の被害者救済新法成立 不当な寄付勧誘に罰則 [New law passed to provide relief to victims of the former Unification Church, penalizing those who solicited unfair donations] (in Japanese). The Nikkei. 10 December 2022. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  15. ^ "Abe Shinzo's assassin achieved his political goals", The Economist, 12 January 2023, retrieved 27 February 2024
  16. ^ Worth, Robert F. (18 September 2023). "The Bizarre Story Behind Shinzo Abe's Assassination". The Atlantic. ISSN 2151-9463. Retrieved 27 February 2024.


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