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Shinzo Abe's body arrives in Tokyo as Japan mourns ex-PM's killing
The body of Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe was returned to Tokyo on Saturday (July 9) after he was fatally shot during a campaign speech in western Japan a day earlier, the Week news website reported.
Abe was attacked in the city of Nara and airlifted to a local hospital but died of blood loss despite emergency treatment including massive blood transfusions.
Abe's assassination ahead of Sunday's parliamentary election shocked the nation as a threat to democracy and raised questions over whether security for Abe was adequate.
It also stunned global leaders who sent condolences, while many Japanese visited the site of the attack to lay flowers and pray for the former leader who remained influential even after he stepped down in 2020.
Meanwhile, police are scrambling to establish a motive for the killing, amid shock and anger that a politician could be gunned down in broad daylight in one of the world’s safest societies.
Humble tribute to Japan’s former Prime minister #ShinzoAbe . We will miss you…….. My SandArt at Puri beach in India . #RIP 🙏 pic.twitter.com/lahMMPSZdw
— Sudarsan Pattnaik (@sudarsansand) July 9, 2022
The Guardian reported, the suspect arrested at the scene of Friday’s shooting, Tetsuya Yamagami, told police that he initially planned to attack the leader of a religious group to which his mother had donated money, causing her to go bankrupt, the Kyodo news agency said, quoting investigative sources.
Japan ex-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shot dead
Yamagami, a 41-year old resident of Nara, said he was also “dissatisfied” with Abe, whom he accused of promoting the group, adding that he had not targeted the politician because he disagreed with his politics.
Police confiscated the homemade gun he used, and several others were later found at his apartment.
Police are investigating whether the suspect acted alone.
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