Global InformationAssassination of Shinzo Abe information
| Assassination of Shinzo Abe | |
|---|---|
 Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station, several hours after the shooting | |
 | |
| Location | near Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan |
| Coordinates | 34°41′38.6″N 135°47′02.2″E / 34.694056°N 135.783944°E |
| Date | 8 July 2022 c. 11:30 am (JST) |
| Target | Shinzo Abe |
Attack type | Assassination by shooting |
| Weapons | Homemade firearm[1][a] |
| Motive | A grudge against the Unification Church, with which Abe was connected[2] |
| Accused | Tetsuya Yamagami |
| Charges |
|
On 8 July 2022, Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan and a serving member of the Japanese House of Representatives, was shot to death 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 by a 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.[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.[10][2]
The assassination brought scrutiny from Japanese society and media against the UC's alleged practice of pressuring believers into making exorbitant donations.[11] 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.[12][13] 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.[14] 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.[15]
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 Unification Church that it provoked. The Economist remarked that "Mr Yamagami’s political violence has proved stunningly effective...Political violence seldom fulfils so many of its perpetrator’s aims."[16] Writing for The Atlantic, Robert F. Worth agreed, describing Yamagami as "among the most successful assassins in history."[17]
- ^ a b Kim, Chang-Ran (8 July 2022). "Shinzo Abe shot while making election speech in Japan". Reuters. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe shot dead". CNN. 8 July 2022. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Kyodo 2022-07-08was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Reactions to Shinzo Abe shooting". Reuters. 8 July 2022. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 【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？ (in Japanese), Nippon TV, 21 September 2022, retrieved 26 September 2022 – via Yahoo News
- ^ Introvigne, Massimo (27 October 2022). "'Cult deprogrammer' lawyers and Abe's assassination". Asia Times. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ 旧統一教会と政治家 選挙支援どこまで (in Japanese), Tokyo Broadcasting System, 4 August 2022, retrieved 31 July 2022 – via YouTube
- ^ 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 (in Japanese), Tokyo Broadcasting System, 4 August 2022, retrieved 8 August 2022 – via YouTube
- ^ "Japanese economic minister steps down over church links". Reuters. 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ 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 (in Japanese). Yahoo news Japan. 31 August 2022. Archived from the original on 31 August 2022.
- ^ 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 (in Japanese). The Nikkei. 10 December 2022. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
- ^ "Abe Shinzo's assassin achieved his political goals", The Economist, 12 January 2023, retrieved 27 February 2024
- ^ Robert F. Worth (18 September 2023), "The Bizarre Story Behind Shinzo Abe's Assassination", The Atlantic, retrieved 27 February 2024
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