Former Japan PM Shinzo Abe killed by gunman in campaign attack
WILL GLASGOW - JULY 8, 2022
Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe has died after being shot at a campaign event in Nara on Friday.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida recalled his cabinet to Tokyo to respond to one of the greatest political catastrophes of Japan’s post-war era.
“This is the very foundation of democracy … It cannot be tolerated,” he said of the pre-election attack.
Late on Friday, Mr Abe, 67, Japan’s longest serving prime minister, was confirmed dead.
Hours earlier, Prime Minister Kishida had said Mr Abe was in a “critical condition” after the “barbaric and malicious act”.
“Doctors are doing everything they can. I am hoping and praying that former prime minister Abe will survive this,” an emotional Mr Kishida told reporters in Tokyo hours before Mr Abe’s death was confirmed.
Mr Abe had been transferred to Nara Medical University Hospital’s intensive care unit after being shot by what appeared to be a homemade weapon. He was seen bleeding and was unconscious after the incident.
The former prime minister had gunshot wounds on the right side of his neck and left side of his chest, according to Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
The suspect was immediately taken into police custody. He told police that he was dissatisfied with Mr Abe and intended to kill the former prime minister, according to public broadcaster NHK.
The shooting took place at around 11:30am in Nara, two days before a crucial upper house election that could allow Mr Kishida’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party to revise Japan’s pacifist constitution.
Mr Abe, a hugely influential figure in the LDP, has been the most prominent advocate for this change and was campaigning for a member of the ruling party when he was shot.
Mr Kishida declined to comment on the motive of the shooter, saying he needed to wait on the result of the police’s ongoing investigation of the “heinous act”.
Nara Prefecture Police have arrested 41-year-old Nara resident Yamagami Tetsuya on suspicion of attempted murder.
NHK reported that the suspect is a former member of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Forces.
Sounds of an apparent gunshot and plumes of smoke were visible in a video taken at the campaign event. Pictures from the scene show a man being tackled to the ground.
Mr Abe was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, with two stints in office from 2006 to 2007 and 2012 to 2020.
He was the key architect of the Indo-Pacific strategy to counter China’s increased assertiveness and a key driver of the Quad grouping.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the attack was “shocking news”.
“Our thoughts are with his family and the people of Japan at this time,” Prime Minister Albanese said.
Former prime ministers Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison worked closely with Mr Abe, as Tokyo and Canberra became increasingly close strategic partners.
Since stepping down in 2020 because of ill-health, he has remained in Japan’s parliament where he is the leader of the most powerful faction in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
He has repeatedly cautioned China against launching an invasion on Taiwan and warned that Japan needs to do more to counter Beijing’s military build up.
President Joe Biden’s top diplomat Antony Blinken said the attack was a “very, very sad moment”.
“Our thoughts, our prayers are with him, with his family, with the people of Japan,” US secretary of state Blinken said on the sidelines of a G20 meeting on the Indonesian island of Bali.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply distressed by the attack” on his “dear friend”
Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen said she was surprised and saddened by the news.
“Former Prime Minister Abe is not only a good friend of mine, but also a staunch friend of Taiwan’s. He has supported Taiwan for many years,” she said.
Japan has strict laws on gun ownership and shootings are rare.
Mr Abe was campaigning for LDP member Kei Sato, who is running for re-election in the Japanese upper house election on Sunday.
Japan’s security and defence strategy has become a prominent issue in the campaign, following Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s repeated warnings about the Indo-Pacific lessons from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Mr Abe has been the most influential advocate of the need for Japan to revise its pacifist constitution.
Changing the constitution is extremely hard, requiring a two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament. In addition, any change requires a national referendum winning a majority of public support.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/former-japan-pm-abe-attacked-left-bleeding/news-story/3e7aaed5636efa4608d5236012802e56