Japanese Former PM Shinzo Abe Assassinated

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

Press is reporting that Shinzo Abe has been shot while giving a campaign speech and rushed to the hospital

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

Some are saying this is the alleged gunman as he was being apprehended:



again, allegedly: Abe was shot in the back with a shotgun.

[Typhoon]

Unpleasant news.

NHK | Former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo shot

Former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo is in critical condition after a shooting at a campaign rally in western Japan. Police have arrested a 41-year-old man for attempted murder. He's been identified as a former member of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. Police say the gunman admitted he tried to kill Abe because he was 'dissatisfied' with him.

[Typhoon]

NHK | Police: Suspect 'intended to kill' former PM Abe

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

All that over dissatisfaction of a man who left office two years ago?

[Doc]

Shinzo Abe has died. Shot through the heart. This is outrageous. Maybe one man acting alone Maybe a prelude to China invading Taiwan. IF the CCP does invades Taiwan, it was them that did this.

[Doc]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/sh ... 9f548afc65

Shinzo Abe was only confirmed as speaker one day before event where he was killed, deepening questions around assassination
m (Sophia Ankel) - 3h ago

Shinzo Abe, seen in the center standing on a platform, at the event in Nara, Japan, where he was shot dead on July 8, 2022. Twitter @makichanman37 via Reuters
© Twitter @makichanman37 via Reuters
Shinzo Abe, seen in the center standing on a platform, at the event in Nara, Japan, where he was shot dead on July 8, 2022. Twitter @makichanman37 via Reuters
The former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was shot dead at a campaign speech on Friday.
Abe's visit to the city of Nara was only confirmed late Thursday night, the BBC reported.
A suspect was arrested and a makeshift gun was found at the scene.
Live Updates: Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shot during speech in Nara

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's campaign visit on Friday morning was only confirmed late the night before, the BBC reported.

Abe was giving a speech near a train station in the western city of Nara at around 11.30 a.m. local time when he was shot twice from behind.

He suffered fatal wounds to his neck and the left of his chest and was declared dead in the hospital five and a half hours later.

Related video: Shinzo Abe shot at: Who is Shinzo Abe, who shot him and why?

The former prime minister, who stepped down in 2020 due to health issues, was on the campaign trail for in support of his Liberal Democratic Party ahead of this Sunday's upper house election.

His visit to Nara was only confirmed late last night, per the BBC.

That detail raises questions about how his killer was able to act so quickly.

Police arrested a 41-year-old man at the scene and seized a weapon, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper said. Officials did not immediately suggest a motive or comment on any planning around the attack.

The weapon appears to have been a rudimentary gun, which could be seen on the ground in video from the scene.

Airo Hino, a political science professor at Waseda University, told Reuters that a shooting like this is unprecedented in Japan, which has strict gun-control laws.

"Senior Japanese politicians are accompanied by armed security agents but often get close to the public, especially during political campaigns when they make roadside speeches and shake hands with passersby," Hino told Reuters.

[Typhoon]

The police said Yamagami, who came to the venue of the speech by train,
has confessed that he committed the crime as he has a grudge against a "specific [religious?] organization" in the belief that it is linked with Abe.

I suppose this may become clear during the trial, but from the rather vague statement, Komeito - Soka Gakkai is the first organization that comes to mind.

Anyways, it seems to be an issue internal to Japan.

[Doc]

The police said Yamagami, who came to the venue of the speech by train,
has confessed that he committed the crime as he has a grudge against a "specific [religious?] organization" in the belief that it is linked with Abe.

I suppose this may become clear during the trial, but from the rather vague statement, Komeito - Soka Gakkai is the first organization that comes to mind.

Anyways, it seems to be an issue internal to Japan.

As well as felt around the world.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

The police said Yamagami, who came to the venue of the speech by train,
has confessed that he committed the crime as he has a grudge against a "specific [religious?] organization" in the belief that it is linked with Abe.

I suppose this may become clear during the trial, but from the rather vague statement, Komeito - Soka Gakkai is the first organization that comes to mind.

Anyways, it seems to be an issue internal to Japan.

The association left-wing America is focused on is the Nippon Kaigai.

[Typhoon]

The police said Yamagami, who came to the venue of the speech by train,
has confessed that he committed the crime as he has a grudge against a "specific [religious?] organization" in the belief that it is linked with Abe.

I suppose this may become clear during the trial, but from the rather vague statement, Komeito - Soka Gakkai is the first organization that comes to mind.

Anyways, it seems to be an issue internal to Japan.

As well as felt around the world.

Sorry, I think that I did not express myself clearly.

Rather, the assassin's motivation appears to be related to political / cultural issues internal to Japan as opposed to international political /cultural issues.

[Doc]

The police said Yamagami, who came to the venue of the speech by train,
has confessed that he committed the crime as he has a grudge against a "specific [religious?] organization" in the belief that it is linked with Abe.

I suppose this may become clear during the trial, but from the rather vague statement, Komeito - Soka Gakkai is the first organization that comes to mind.

Anyways, it seems to be an issue internal to Japan.

As well as felt around the world.

Sorry, I think that I did not express myself clearly.

Rather, the assassin's motivation appears to be related to political / cultural issues internal to Japan as opposed to international political /cultural issues.

Yesterday spoke I with several people that mentioned Abe's assassination. From Brazil and in Vietnam plus Americans They all seemed shocked and saddened by it. So the effect is literally world wide.

[Typhoon]

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The man who fatally shot former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has told police that he initially planned to attack a leader of a religious group who he believed caused his mother to go bankrupt because of her donations to the group, investigative sources said Saturday.

Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, has also admitted that he intended to kill Abe, believing he had ties with the group, the sources said.

[Nonc Hilaire]

@Typhoon: Will Abe lie in state for a viewing? What is Japanese protocol for state funerals?

[Typhoon]

@Typhoon: Will Abe lie in state for a viewing?

No. His remains have been transported to his home in Tokyo.
There will be an all night vigil starting Monday evening and a funeral Tuesday, both attended only by family and friends.

What is Japanese protocol for state funerals?

A state funeral is still under discussion.
The last state funeral that I recall is the one for Emperor Shōwa in 1989, but such a funeral has it's own special protocols.

[Typhoon]

Unconfirmed report.

FT | Killing of Shinzo Abe shines spotlight on politicians’ links with Moonies [paywalled]

South Korea’s Unification Church says it is "baffled" by reports suspect was motivated by anger at the group

Kana Inagaki, Antoni Slodkowski and Eri Sugiura in Tokyo and Christian Davies in Seoul 6 HOURS AGO

South Korea’s Unification Church said on Monday it was "baffled" by reports the man suspected of killing former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was motivated by anger against the group.

The head of the Japanese branch of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, often known as the Moonies, confirmed that the mother of suspect Tetsuya Yamagami was a member of the church.

But branch chair Tomihiro Tanaka declined to comment on suggestions large donations by Yamagami’s mother had put the family under severe financial stress, and said gifts to the church from members were voluntary.

For decades, close ties between the Moonies and powerful figures in the governing Liberal Democratic party have been a little-discussed open secret in Japanese politics.

But Abe’s death and the suspect’s alleged family troubles with the group have shone a spotlight on the relationship as the nation seeks answers to one of its worst incidents of political violence since the second world war.

Tanaka told a news conference, to which only leading Japanese media outlets were invited, that Yamagami’s mother had been a church member since about 1998 and had been attending its events until two months ago. The 41-year-old suspect himself was not affiliated with the church.

Local police said Yamagami told investigators that he held a grudge against “a particular group” with which he believed Abe had a close relationship. Police have not named the group but a person familiar with the investigation said he referred to the Unification Church.

Japanese media have widely reported that Yamagami, a former member of the nation’s Maritime Self-Defense Force, said his mother had made large donations to the group, upending their household finances. Yamagami’s mother could not be reached for comment.

Tanaka declined to comment on the mother’s donations, but said the church did not force people to make donations against their will. He said it believed Yamagami’s mother went bankrupt in 2002.

“We find it confusing and difficult to understand why resentment against the church would lead to former prime minister Abe’s killing,” Tanaka said at the news conference, which was live-streamed.

He said that, if asked, the group would co-operate with the police to uncover Yamagami’s precise motive.

Originally known as the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, the Unification Church was founded in 1954 in the South Korean port city of Busan.

Its founder, excommunicated Presbyterian minister Moon Sun-myung, claimed to have been charged by God with completing Jesus Christ’s unfinished work on earth.

Tetsuya Yamagami, the suspect in the killing of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, is escorted by police officers © Kyodo/Reuters
Widely derided as a cult, the Unification Church spread to the west in the late 1950s and expanded aggressively throughout the world in the 1990s. Its Japanese branch opened in 1959 and has 600,000 members.

Although not members, Abe and his late grandfather Nobusuke Kishi, also a former Japanese prime minister, were publicly known as supporters of the church.

Yamagami also reportedly believed Kishi played a role in the church establishing itself in Japan. “It was Mr Kishi who brought the group that destroyed my family so I targeted his grandson,” Japanese media reports quoted him as telling investigators. Local police officials declined to comment.

Jeffrey J Hall, an expert on nationalist activism at Kanda University of International Studies, said the Unification Church had been involved in conservative politics in Japan since Abe’s grandfather’s era.

“This group has been one of the bases of the LDP’s campaigns since that time in the cold war when the church was a reliable ally against communism,” Hall said. “They worked with the Kishi faction of the LDP, which later became the Abe faction.”

The church has denied providing financial donations to the LDP. But Hall said strict laws on political campaigning in Japan that made it hard to connect with voters meant non-monetary ties were also valuable.

“Having religious groups that can provide a very reliable group of voters who will definitely turn out on election day, will definitely vote for your party, can provide volunteers for your campaign, is important,” he said.

In September last year, Abe appeared at an event organised by the widow of Unification Church founder Moon. The event also featured former US president Donald Trump as a keynote speaker. “I am honoured to be given this opportunity to speak with my close friend president Trump, who has also been a driving force for world peace,” Abe said in the five-minute speech.

The National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales, which represents people forced to make donations or to purchase “spiritual goods” such as personal seals and vases from religious groups, protested against Abe’s appearance last year. The network alleged that the church “caused serious damage to many citizens in Japan, family breakdown and destruction of lives”.

According to the lawyers, damages sought by people they represent from the church total more than ¥123bn ($894mn) over the past 30 years. In one case, a single family donated ¥2bn to the group.

The then Japan chair of the Unification Church resigned in 2009 after some of its executives were charged with illegal door-to-door sales of spiritual goods. Hiroshi Yamaguchi, one of the lawyers representing the victims, said: “The followers of the Moonies are still assigned strict quotas for donations.”

Tanaka said the church had strengthened compliance measures since the late 2000s and denied assigning donation quotas to members. The group also said it had not been involved in police cases since 2009.

Kimiaki Nishida, an expert on cult psychology at Rissho University, said the Japanese establishment and media had long turned a blind eye to political links to Moonies. “This is not a religious group but a cult that is hungry for money. But no one touched on the issue,” he said.

Not going to go over well in Japan if found to be accurate.

[Doc]

Unconfirmed report.

FT | Killing of Shinzo Abe shines spotlight on politicians’ links with Moonies [paywalled]

South Korea’s Unification Church says it is "baffled" by reports suspect was motivated by anger at the group

Kana Inagaki, Antoni Slodkowski and Eri Sugiura in Tokyo and Christian Davies in Seoul 6 HOURS AGO

South Korea’s Unification Church said on Monday it was "baffled" by reports the man suspected of killing former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was motivated by anger against the group.

The head of the Japanese branch of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, often known as the Moonies, confirmed that the mother of suspect Tetsuya Yamagami was a member of the church.

But branch chair Tomihiro Tanaka declined to comment on suggestions large donations by Yamagami’s mother had put the family under severe financial stress, and said gifts to the church from members were voluntary.

For decades, close ties between the Moonies and powerful figures in the governing Liberal Democratic party have been a little-discussed open secret in Japanese politics.

But Abe’s death and the suspect’s alleged family troubles with the group have shone a spotlight on the relationship as the nation seeks answers to one of its worst incidents of political violence since the second world war.

Tanaka told a news conference, to which only leading Japanese media outlets were invited, that Yamagami’s mother had been a church member since about 1998 and had been attending its events until two months ago. The 41-year-old suspect himself was not affiliated with the church.

Local police said Yamagami told investigators that he held a grudge against “a particular group” with which he believed Abe had a close relationship. Police have not named the group but a person familiar with the investigation said he referred to the Unification Church.

Japanese media have widely reported that Yamagami, a former member of the nation’s Maritime Self-Defense Force, said his mother had made large donations to the group, upending their household finances. Yamagami’s mother could not be reached for comment.

Tanaka declined to comment on the mother’s donations, but said the church did not force people to make donations against their will. He said it believed Yamagami’s mother went bankrupt in 2002.

“We find it confusing and difficult to understand why resentment against the church would lead to former prime minister Abe’s killing,” Tanaka said at the news conference, which was live-streamed.

He said that, if asked, the group would co-operate with the police to uncover Yamagami’s precise motive.

Originally known as the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, the Unification Church was founded in 1954 in the South Korean port city of Busan.

Its founder, excommunicated Presbyterian minister Moon Sun-myung, claimed to have been charged by God with completing Jesus Christ’s unfinished work on earth.

Tetsuya Yamagami, the suspect in the killing of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, is escorted by police officers © Kyodo/Reuters
Widely derided as a cult, the Unification Church spread to the west in the late 1950s and expanded aggressively throughout the world in the 1990s. Its Japanese branch opened in 1959 and has 600,000 members.

Although not members, Abe and his late grandfather Nobusuke Kishi, also a former Japanese prime minister, were publicly known as supporters of the church.

Yamagami also reportedly believed Kishi played a role in the church establishing itself in Japan. “It was Mr Kishi who brought the group that destroyed my family so I targeted his grandson,” Japanese media reports quoted him as telling investigators. Local police officials declined to comment.

Jeffrey J Hall, an expert on nationalist activism at Kanda University of International Studies, said the Unification Church had been involved in conservative politics in Japan since Abe’s grandfather’s era.

“This group has been one of the bases of the LDP’s campaigns since that time in the cold war when the church was a reliable ally against communism,” Hall said. “They worked with the Kishi faction of the LDP, which later became the Abe faction.”

The church has denied providing financial donations to the LDP. But Hall said strict laws on political campaigning in Japan that made it hard to connect with voters meant non-monetary ties were also valuable.

“Having religious groups that can provide a very reliable group of voters who will definitely turn out on election day, will definitely vote for your party, can provide volunteers for your campaign, is important,” he said.

In September last year, Abe appeared at an event organised by the widow of Unification Church founder Moon. The event also featured former US president Donald Trump as a keynote speaker. “I am honoured to be given this opportunity to speak with my close friend president Trump, who has also been a driving force for world peace,” Abe said in the five-minute speech.

The National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales, which represents people forced to make donations or to purchase “spiritual goods” such as personal seals and vases from religious groups, protested against Abe’s appearance last year. The network alleged that the church “caused serious damage to many citizens in Japan, family breakdown and destruction of lives”.

According to the lawyers, damages sought by people they represent from the church total more than ¥123bn ($894mn) over the past 30 years. In one case, a single family donated ¥2bn to the group.

The then Japan chair of the Unification Church resigned in 2009 after some of its executives were charged with illegal door-to-door sales of spiritual goods. Hiroshi Yamaguchi, one of the lawyers representing the victims, said: “The followers of the Moonies are still assigned strict quotas for donations.”

Tanaka said the church had strengthened compliance measures since the late 2000s and denied assigning donation quotas to members. The group also said it had not been involved in police cases since 2009.

Kimiaki Nishida, an expert on cult psychology at Rissho University, said the Japanese establishment and media had long turned a blind eye to political links to Moonies. “This is not a religious group but a cult that is hungry for money. But no one touched on the issue,” he said.

Not going to go over well in Japan if found to be accurate.

MY one direct encounter with a Moonie was at a football game. I early 20 something girl dressed Moonie style walked up to me and pinned a flower on my shirt then asked for a donation. I told her I didn't have any money on me. Then she asked for her flower back.

[Typhoon]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3uJkrk0Pek

r3uJkrk0Pek