Shinzo Abe

Former PM collapses after gunshots reportedly heard while he spoke in the city of Nara.

“Abe-san has been an outstanding leader of Japan and unwavering ally of the United States,” Emanuel said in a statement. He resigned without presiding over the Games, which were postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic. Amateur video footage showed Abe’s aides rushing towards him as smoke filled the air behind him.

Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in heart failure after apparently being shot during a campaign speech Friday in western Japan, NHK public ...

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The attack in Nara, which reportedly left the 67-year-old unconscious, shocked a nation where gun violence is extremely rare.

Anyone trying to obtain a gun in Japan needs to apply for a permit, attend a class on gun safety and laws, and pass a written test. Last year, 14 of the 17 shootings in Japan were related to the yakuza, according to the National Police Agency. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who was campaigning in Yamagata when the shooting occurred, was headed back to Tokyo and canceling campaign events. Abe focused on reviving Japan’s stagnating economy through a package dubbed “Abenomics,” and sought to expand Japan’s military defenses. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno confirmed that Abe was shot around 11:30 a.m. Friday and said the government is working to confirm his condition. “This is truly an unforgivable act of political terrorism,” said Sanae Takaichi, chairwoman of the party’s Policy Research Council and 2021 prime ministerial candidate.

Mr. Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, is perhaps the country's best known current politician, both in Japan and overseas. He is the de facto leader ...

\n\nHe said he was summoning his entire cabinet back to Tokyo and was seeking to learn more about the background of the shooter.\n\nA national election of the upper house is scheduled for Sunday. Mr. Kishida was on the campaign trail and returned to Tokyo after Mr. Abe, who was also campaigning for the party’s candidates, was shot. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Shinzo Abe is in serious condition and intensive efforts are under way to save his life.\n\nMr. Kishida said the shooting struck at "an election, the foundation of democracy."

Abe, modern Japan's longest-serving prime minister, held the top office from 2012 to 2020 after a brief previous stint as leader.

He also became a particularly vocal critic of Beijing’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific after leaving office. Abe also enacted laws to allow Japan’s Self-Defense Forces to fight alongside allies overseas, in a move that particularly angered China. The economic policies he pursued during his second stint in office, dubbed “Abenomics,” were intended as shock therapy for an economy that had become stagnant after a lengthy postwar boom.

This act of violence is all the more stunning in a country known for safety. The repercussions will be felt far beyond Sunday's upper house elections.

The shooting of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe has sparked condemnation from political leaders across the world. Abe, 67, Japan's longest-serving ...

Longest-serving PM, known for his 'Abenomics' policy, shot while making campaign speech in Nara.

The head of the Japan Socialist party was assassinated during a speech in 1960 by a rightwing youth with a samurai short sword. In 2007, the mayor of Nagasaki was shot and killed by a yakuza gangster. There were six reported gun deaths in 2014, according to the National Police Agency, and the number rarely exceeds 10, in a country of 126 million people. Citing the return of a chronic bowel complaint that had contributed to the premature end to his first term in office, Abe resigned without presiding over the Games, which was postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic. Abe, the country’s longest-serving prime minister until he resigned in 2020, was flown to hospital by helicopter after the attack. While in office, Abe failed to realise his main political ambition – to revise Japan’s “pacifist” constitution, which prohibits the country from using force to resolve international disputes.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been rushed to hospital following a possible shooting during a speech in Nara, Japan, public broadcaster NHK ...

An aerial photo showed emergency vehicles at the scene in Nara, and a small crowd gathered on the sidewalk. The former prime minister was then moved to Nara Medical University. A suspect has been arrested and charged with attempted murder and a gun was retrieved, the broadcaster reported.

As traders absorb the tragic news of the death of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, they are also left facing a debate about how the loss of a ...

Abe collapsed while giving a speech in Nara. He was shot while giving a speech on the campaign trail ahead of Sunday's upper house election.

Abe was Japan's longest-serving prime minister. His great-uncle Eisaku Sato was Japan's second-longest serving prime minister from 1964 to 1972. His maternal grandfather was Nobusuke Kishi, who served as Japan's prime minister from 1957 to 1960. Abe resigned before the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics took place in 2021. Abe collapsed after being shot while giving a speech on Friday in Nara, a city 35 kilometers south of Kyoto. He was on the campaign trail ahead of this Sunday's upper house election. Abe's father Shintaro was the country's foreign minister from 1982 to 1986.

Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe died in hospital on Friday, local media reported, hours after being shot at a political campaign event in an attack ...

“He didn’t fall and there was a large bang. He was 67.” Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha was “very shocked” at Abe’s shooting, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply distressed” by the news. “This is a very, very sad moment,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters at a G20 meeting in Bali, saying the United States was “deeply saddened and deeply concerned”. He was wielding a weapon described by local media as a “handmade gun”, and NHK said he told police after his arrest that he “targeted Abe with the intention of killing him”. “Former prime minister Shinzo Abe was shot in Nara and I have been informed he is in a very grave condition,” he said.

A live broadcast of Shinzo Abe giving a campaign speech in the city of Nara on Friday shows the exact moment of the shooter's assassination on the former ...

The former prime minister was often described as a 'right-wing nationalist' by political commentators. EU stands with people of Japan and @kishida230 in these difficult times. He did not attempt to flee and was taken into custody at the scene.

Police tackled and arrested the suspected gunman at the scene of an attack that shocked many in Japan, which is one of the world's safest nations and has some ...

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Shinzo Abe smashed records as Japan's longest-serving prime minister, championing ambitious economic reform and forging key diplomatic relationships while ...

He prioritised a close personal relationship with Donald Trump in a bid to protect Japan's key alliance from the then-US president's "America First" mantra, and tried to mend ties with Russia and China. He was seen as a symbol of change and youth, but also brought the pedigree of a third-generation politician groomed from birth by an elite, conservative family. Abe was a sprightly 52 when he first became prime minister in 2006, the youngest person to occupy the job in the postwar era.

Japan's longest-serving premier was shot from about 3 meters (10 feet) behind during a campaign event in the city of Nara on Friday.

“Mr Abe was also a giant on the world stage — a leader in the G7, the G20 and the United Nations. He legacy was one of global impact.” “My thoughts are with his wife and the people of Japan. Events like this shake us all to the core.” My thoughts are with the family and those close to a great prime minister. President Yoon Suk Yeol called the shooting an “unacceptable criminal act” and expressed deepest sorrow and shock in a Friday afternoon statement. Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, host of the G-20 meeting in Bali, condoled the killing. Relations between the two traditional foes worsened on issues such as wartime “comfort women” and trade. The office of Taiwan’s leader Tsai Ing-wen said in a statement that the international community had lost an important leader, and Taiwan had lost an important dear friend. “This is a tremendous blow to the wonderful people of Japan, who loved and admired him so much.” Abe stabilized Tokyo’s relationship with Beijing while in office, restoring official visits and opening the nation’s doors to Chinese tourists. “Taiwanese government condemns violence and illegal acts.” Outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson called Abe’s passing “incredibly sad.” “His global leadership through unchartered times will be remembered by many. The attack stunned a nation where political violence and guns are extremely rare.

Abe, 67, had been delivering a stump speech near a train station in the western city of Nara when he was shot by an assailant. According to AFP, a government ...

"This is a very, very sad moment," Blinken told reporters at a G20 meeting in Bali, saying the United States was "deeply saddened and deeply concerned". Jiji reported a government task force had been formed in the wake of the incident, and reaction was already beginning to pour in. "Former prime minister Abe was shot at around 11:30 am," in the country's western region of Nara, chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters. - Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe was shot at a campaign event on Friday, and appeared to be in "cardiorespiratory arrest". According to AFP, a government spokesperson said Abe was shot at a campaign event, as local media reported the nation's longest-serving premier was showing no vital signs. - A 41-year-old man, believed to be the shooter, has been taken into custody.

Japan's longest-serving Prime Minister wanted a more assertive place for his country on the international stage—at the expense of atonement and historical ...

This, in particular, is because, in Japan, until Emperor Hirohito died, in 1989, it was not possible for any public official, let alone any academic, to publicly discuss the role of the emperor and whether the emperor himself, or Japan in the name of the emperor, bore responsibility for these atrocities. And the Americans recognized that this was what he was talking about. That’s when Japanese political leaders really became more public about the positioning of their own parties’ views of Japan’s role in Asia, in a new, more strident way that sought to rewrite how Japan and the Japanese should see it. I just wanted to follow up on the Nanjing Massacre. Americans may know this as the Rape of Nanking, when, in 1937, Japanese soldiers killed hundreds of thousands of Chinese people and raped tens of thousands. However, what is possible to judge is what Abe’s study group continued to do with him continuing to be in charge. He’s a departure insofar as he comes as part of the backlash in the early to mid-nineties to many Japanese leaders, even those within Abe’s own party, beginning publicly to accept Japan’s responsibility for state-sponsored atrocities. And this is why comparing him to Trump and [India’s Prime Minister Narendra] Modi and other extremists—or people with extreme views or people who give voice to extreme views—is apt, because these groups seem to come out of nowhere for a lot of us. And to what degree was this more of the status quo, but just in a more aggressive fashion? Shinzo Abe, the former Prime Minister of Japan, was assassinated on Friday, in the city of Nara. A member of the Liberal Democratic Party, Abe had served in Japan’s highest elected office twice: the first time, for a year, starting in 2006, and the second time between 2012 and 2020. By that time, these issues had been much better studied academically and socially within Japan and throughout the world. Abe began in the mid-nineties, when there was an effort to really socially readdress Japan’s wartime role in Asia, after the death of Emperor Hirohito, in the wake of the first “ comfort women” coming forward. During our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity, we discussed Abe’s Second World War revisionism, his complicated feelings about America, and why his push to reform the Japanese constitution ultimately failed.

Our reaction upon hearing the news of the shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was one of shock and incredulity in equal measure.

The same may happen in Japan in due course.*Hugo Dobson is teaching Japan's International Relations at the University of Sheffield.Kristian Magnus Hauken is a Teaching Associate in East Asian Studies at the University of Sheffield.This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. We do not readily associate political assassination and violence with democratic and pacifist post-war Japan.In this light, it is not surprising that many reports focused on political violence in Japan as “almost unheard of”. However, like any country, sudden and extreme acts of political violence are not without precedent in Japan.Organized crime and extremistsDuring Abe’s second period in power (2012-20), one of his most controversial initiatives was the reinterpretation of Japan’s exercise of its right to collective self-defense. At the hands of a religious cult, Aum Shinrikyō, key subway stations serving political centres in Tokyo were targeted with the aim to initiate the end of the world. However, as is the case in other countries (one need only think of the murders of MPs Jo Cox and David Amess in the UK), it is sadly far from unheard of.Sadly, Shinzo Abe is only the most recent in a long line of politically motivated attacks. Read the original article.From Your Site ArticlesAnders Breivik And Columbine: When Modern Narcissism Triggers ... ›Uvalde And The World: A Look As School Shootings Spread Beyond ... ›How Low Trust In Government Fuels Violence Against Politicians ... ›Related Articles Around the WebThe Assassination of Shinzo Abe Rattles Japan - The New York Times ›Shinzo Abe Shooting: Japan, Known for Safety, Is in Shock ... ›What Shinzo Abe's assassination means for Japan's political ... ›Keep reading...Show lessBertrand HaugerTHE CONVERSATION The cult leader, Asahara Shōkō alongside key members of the cult, were executed in 2018.Gun crime is rare in Japan so political violence is shocking and extreme.During the 1970s and 1980s Japan saw domestic terror at the hands of a series of left-wing revolutionary groups. The wanted posters for individuals involved with the JRA still appear at Japanese train stations, and recently Tokyo police have made videos reminding the populace that members are still on the loose.Not just in JapanAs the numbers show, gun crime is rare in Japan so political violence is shocking and extreme. Unfortunately, the highly visible nature of criminal prosecution in Japan gives perpetrators a large platform to announce their views.This doesn’t just happen in Japan. The judicial process has been used for political grandstanding in recent cases across Europe and the US, with the Breivik case in Norway as a particularly harrowing example. Famously, Mishima committed ritual suicide when the coup attempt failed.These examples are all actions of individuals.The year 1960 was a tumultuous moment in Japanese post-war history as a result of the revision of the U.S.-Japan security treaty. Asanuma was an outspoken critic of Japan’s ties to the U.S. and also sought closer relations with Communist states in Asia. A photograph of the attack won the Pulitzer prize.Mishima Yukio delivering a speech in 1970ANP / Wikimedia CommonsOrganized political violence in pacific JapanThese examples are all actions of individuals. GeopoliticsShinzo Abe's Killing Is Part Of Japan's Long, Dark History Of Political ViolenceThere have been countless cases of Japanese politicians targeted over the past century, including Abe’s own grandfather, Kishi Nobusuke, who survived an assassination attempt.Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo on Aug. 28, 2020Pool/ZUMAHugo Dobson and Kristian Magnus Hauken*July 09, 2022GeopoliticsTHE CONVERSATIONSourcesfeatured-postOur reaction upon hearing the news of the shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was one of shock and incredulity in equal measure. In the latter case, the person died.In Abe’s first period in office (2006-7), mayor of Nagasaki Itō Icchō was shot and killed by a member of the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan’s largest organized crime syndicate, over a seemingly trivial matter of compensation for damage to his car.In 1990, Itō’s predecessor, Motoshima Hitoshi, was also the target of an unsuccessful assassination attempt by a right-wing extremist over public comments he made regarding Emperor Hirohito’s war responsibility.Troubled history for decadesIn 2006, senior Liberal Democratic Party politician Katō Kōichi’s home was subject to an arson attack by a right-winger angered by comments Katō had made critical of prime minister Koizumi Junichirō’s visit to Yasukuni shrine.

Under the "Abenomics" policy, the former prime minister introduced stimulus measures and major reforms.

I believe that's the key to how the new form of capitalism is going to be different from the past," he said. But it failed to reach the point of creating a 'virtuous cycle'. It does, however, warn that economic recovery will be "sluggish". He mounted campaigns to encourage domestic tourism which opponents said contributed to a resurgence in infections. Abenomics did help drive growth, though not at the pace that the country had seen during its post-war boom. Perhaps the most high profile policy of his time in office was "Abenomics", the economic programme that bears his name.

Shinzo Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, died after being shot twice while giving a campaign speech, sending shock waves through the political ...

- Target:Up to 60% off - Target Promo Code You may cancel your subscription at anytime by calling Customer Service. Police arrested a 41-year-old man who they said approached Mr. Abe from behind as he gave a speech in the city of Nara and fired twice with what appeared to be an improvised firearm.

A Martinez speaks with Michael Green, formerly Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, about former Japanese Prime Minister ...

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In a country where gun violence is rare, the murder of former Japanese leader Shinzo Abe is raising questions about the shooter and his motive.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe died on Friday after being shot while giving a campaign speech on a street in central Japan, according to public ...

I pray for the best for the former prime minister." The United States stands with Japan in this moment of grief," Biden said in a statement. Abe went into cardiopulmonary arrest at the site of the shooting and was rushed to hospital in a state of cardiac arrest at 12:20 p.m. local time, doctors said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Abe's death "profoundly disturbing in and of itself, it's also such a strong personal loss for so many people." He was believed to have been shot twice, in the chest and neck, NHK reported, citing police. Video aired by the public broadcaster captured the moments before the shooting, showing Abe speaking to a small crowd in front of Yamatosaidaiji railway station. But getting them is a long and complicated process. After Abe was shot but before his death was confirmed, China's Foreign Ministry sent its condolences to Abe's family. I really feel at a loss for words. Since stepping down, he remained in the public eye and regularly appeared in the media to discuss current affairs. on Twitter, adding that Abe was "a leader in the Indo-Pacific, championing a vision of a free and open region." Abe died from excessive bleeding and was pronounced dead at 5:03 p.m. local time, doctors at the Nara Medical University hospital said during a press conference on Friday. The doctors said the bullet that killed the former Japanese leader was "deep enough to reach his heart" and a team of 20 medical professionals were unable to stop the bleeding.

Japan's former leader Shinzo Abe assassinated · He was rushed to the hospital, but showed no vital signs, per NHK. · Police have arrested the suspected shooter, ...

- "He was a dear friend who loved this country," Kishida added. He was assassinated. What he's saying: "Really BAD NEWS FOR THE WORLD! Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is dead. - "This is shocking. The big picture: Abe, who was most recently in office from December 2012 to September 2020, was Japan's longest-serving prime minister. There were 10 shootings and one gun-related death in Japan last year,the Washington Post notes.

SEOUL — Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated Friday, stunning a nation where gun violence and political attacks are rare.

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Japan's longest-serving prime minister became perhaps the most transformational politician in the country's post-World War II history.

Mr. Green’s book “Line of Advantage: Japan’s Grand Strategy in the Era of Abe Shinzo” argues that it was Mr. Abe who helped push the West to counter China’s increasingly aggressive actions in Asia. “He was chosen for the prime ministership because of a sense in Japan that they were being humiliated by China at every turn,” Mr. Green said. And the American ambassador to Japan in the 1960s, Edwin O. Reischauer, was stabbed in the thigh by a 19-year-old Japanese man; Mr. Reischauer survived and returned to his post as Harvard’s leading scholar of Japanese politics. In addition to showing up at Trump Tower with a gold-plated golf club, he traveled to Mar-a-Lago to celebrate the birthday of Melania Trump, the first lady. In 2012, as Mr. Abe returned to the prime minister’s office, President Barack Obama’s aides worried he was too hawkish, but over time they warmed to him. “What Abe did was transform the national security state in Japan,” said Michael J. Green, a former senior official in the George W. Bush administration who dealt with Mr. Abe often. Mr. Abe pushed further, suggesting that it was time for Japan to establish some kind of nuclear sharing agreement with the United States — breaking his country’s longtime taboo on even discussing the wisdom of possessing an arsenal of its own. China loomed larger, North Korea kept lobbing missiles across the Sea of Japan and Mr. Abe believed that he needed to preserve his country’s relationship with Washington, even if that meant delivering a gold-plated golf club to Donald J. Trump at Trump Tower days after he was elected president. Mr. Abe was not killed for his hard-line views, which at moments triggered street protests and peace rallies in Japan, at least according to initial assessments. His efforts to loosen the restraints on Japan that date back to its postwar, American-written Constitution reflected a recognition that Japan needed its allies more than ever. “We didn’t know what we were going to get when Abe came to office with this hard nationalist reputation,” said Richard Samuels, the director of the Center for International Studies at M.I.T. and the author of books on Japan’s military and intelligence capabilities. “What we got was a pragmatic realist who understood the limits of Japan’s power, and who knew it wasn’t going to be able to balance China’s rise on its own.

When we learned that Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history, had been shot to death in the city of Nara, a surprised colleague ...

Abe’s nationalist agenda was partly a response to a spiritual malaise that had supposedly overtaken Japan in the postwar years, an extension of the trauma of being made to fall to its knees and beg the United States for forgiveness and protection. The final trauma of Abe’s career mostly gets a glancing mention in his obituaries: the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011, which left a deep scar on the Japanese psyche and swept away an incompetent government led by the Democratic Party. It allowed Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party to resume the control that it has maintained over Japan nearly uninterrupted since the 1950s and Abe himself to regain the premiership in 2012 and rule for another eight years, a virtual eon in a country where prime ministers come and go with the seasons. It is easy, too, to imagine him becoming a martyr for the nationalist right, struck down by a world that, for whatever reason, is hostile to Japan’s ambitions. Abe’s main claim to fame as a politician was his campaign to revise Japan’s pacifist constitution, written for the Japanese by America’s occupying forces, so that Japan could assert its military power once more and shake off its de facto status as a vassal state. The bombs were also so annihilative, so awful, that they turned the Japanese into victims and martyrs as well, a countervailing narrative that has persisted ever since. When we learned that Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history, had been shot to death in the city of Nara, a surprised colleague commented, “He would be low on the list of political figures you’d expect this to happen to.” In a sense, this is absolutely true, not least because Japan is a place where gun fatalities are nearly nonexistent.

Friday's assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in one of the world's safest countries has stunned leaders and drawn condemnation.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump said he hoped Abe’s killer will be dealt with “swiftly and harshly.” “Really BAD NEWS FOR THE WORLD!” he said on his social media platform. The International Olympic Committee praised Abe for his “vision, determination and dependability” that allowed it to postpone the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for one year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “My thoughts, our thoughts here at the G-20 meeting are with his family, with his friends, and it is with great sadness that we also send our greetings to all the citizens of Japan.” “Mr. Abe made an immense contribution to elevating India-Japan relations to the level of a special strategic and global partnership. “I have fond memories of meeting Mr. Abe and his wife during their visit to the United Kingdom in 2016,” Queen Elizabeth II said in a written statement. “Italy is distraught over the terrible attack against Japan and its free, democratic debate. “Events like this shake us all to the core.” A double-barreled device that appeared to be a handmade gun is seen on the ground. Above all, he cared deeply about the Japanese people and dedicated his life to their service.“ U.S. President Joe Biden said he was “stunned, outraged, and deeply saddened” and offered his condolences to Abe’s family. “This is a tragedy for Japan and for all who knew him,” Biden said. Jordan’s King Abdullah II said he was shocked and saddened by the attack.

Abe, who left office in 2020, was shot and killed on Friday during an election campaign speech.

Reforming the education system to restore traditional mores was another of his goals. He served as prime minister from 1957 to 1960, resigning due to public furore over a renegotiated US-Japan security pact. Critics initially branded the response clumsy and later faulted Abe for a lack of leadership. But when it came to many policies, his grandfather, the late prime minister Nobusuke Kishi, seems to have mattered most. Deflation proved stubborn, however, and his growth strategy suffered in 2019 from a sales tax hike and the China-US trade war. But he remained a dominant presence over the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), controlling one of its major factions.

Politicians vow not to let assassination of their longest-serving PM stop democratic process, as tributes continue to pour in.

“I followed Abe’s career as prime minister and admired what he was trying to do for Japan. I’ll remember him as someone who faced huge challenges but always came back and carried on. Biden – who earlier said he was “stunned, outraged and deeply saddened” – has ordered flags on US government buildings to fly at half-mast. They bowed and clasped their hands in prayer; some shed tears and lowered their heads again as they turned towards banks of TV cameras. We will honour prime minister Abe’s memory by redoubling our work towards a peaceful and prosperous region.” Meanwhile, tributes have continued to pour in for the leader. They have declined to name the organisation, though several Japanese media outlets described it as a religious group.

Political violence, and gun violence in general, is extremely rare in postwar Japan, so Friday's shooting of Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, ...

Abe’s ill-health returned, and he resigned in August 2020, replaced the following month by his former chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga. A long-running series of nepotism scandals also dented his public standing; investigations by public prosecutors led to charges against some of Abe’s associates and political staff, although Abe himself was never indicted. His first stint as prime minister lasted roughly a year, from 2006 to 2007, before he resigned due to ulcerative colitis following his party’s poor performance in the 2007 Upper House elections. He introduced his signature economic policy, “ Abenomics”, based on massive deficit spending, quantitative easing and attempts at structural reform. Gun ownership is tightly regulated, and mostly restricted to registered hunters. The alleged assailant, reportedly a 42-year old local man, was arrested at the scene.

TOKYO — The assassination of former Japanese leader Shinzo Abe at a political rally on Friday rocked a country where strict firearms laws mean gun violence ...

“On behalf of the Biden family and all of America we extend our heartfelt sympathy to the Abe family and the people of Japan,” Biden wrote. The shooting reverberated throughout the country, which has low crime rates and some of the world’s most restrictive gun laws. He died Friday of blood loss less than five hours after being shot in the neck and chest. Akie Abe, the slain leader’s wife, headed back to Tokyo from Nara on Saturday morning, and Abe’s body was transported back in a hearse. Yamagami was arrested on-site and admitted to shooting Abe with a homemade gun, officials said. The campaign for Japan’s upper house resumed Saturday, with candidates and surrogates — including incumbent Prime Minister Fumio Kishida — returning to the trail ahead of Sunday’s election.

The body of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived back at his home in Tokyo on Saturday, a day after he was assassinated in a daylight shooting, ...

While searching the residence, police found multiple types of guns with iron pipes wrapped in adhesive tape, NHK reported -- the guns had three, five, and six such pipes as barrels. People are finding it very much hard to digest the reality," Taniguchi said on Friday. At the time of the shooting, Abe was speaking in support of ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidates ahead of Upper House elections on Sunday, which are still scheduled to go ahead. Police have not named the group. Presidents, prime ministers and other international leaders sent tributes expressing outrage and sadness over the killing. Officials will now meet with the family to discuss funeral arrangements, Abe's office told CNN.

As news of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe's assassination spread, tributes gushed forth from the social media accounts and websites of presidents, ...

Despite his admiration for his grandfather, he was not a crypto-fascist eager to take Japan back to its pre-1945 past. It may not only have been Abe’s vision for Japan that inspired fierce opposition to his agenda. They wanted to revise the constitution, strengthen Japan’s military and reform the education system, breaking the power of the left-wing teachers union that they believed taught young Japanese a “masochistic” version of Japan’s history, particularly its wartime past. But his ideas also alienated some of the older generations in Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), many of whom had experienced the war and were attached to postwar prime minister Shigeru Yoshida’s vision of a lightly armed Japan that was firmly allied with the United States and focused on its role as a “civilian” economic superpower. At times, Abe’s plans also increased tensions with Japan’s neighbors as well as with the United States. The New Right’s determination to sweep aside “masochistic” history often meant downplaying or denying historical atrocities inflicted on Asian peoples or American prisoners of war. He believed that these institutions – most notably, the education system and the 1947 constitution (written largely by U.S. occupation officials) – prevented Japan from retaking its rightful place among the world’s great powers, reducing it to “subordinate independence” on the United States.

Crowds gather to pay respects to former prime minister at a memorial site close to where he was attacked.

The British royal family have shared their condolences after former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot and killed during a campaign speech on ...

I’m deeply saddened to learn of the death of Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. A true statesman and committed leader. "I'm deeply saddened to learn of the death of Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe," he said. His love for Japan, and his desire to forge ever-closer bonds with the United Kingdom, were clear."

TOKYO, Japan - The man accused of assassinating Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe has been arrested and named by police as Tetsuya Yamagami.

NHK and the Mainichi Shimbun said Yamagami's family had suffered troubles as a result of his mother's financial donations to the organisation. I'm surprised and shocked," his former manager at the plant told the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper. Who is Yamagami? Yamagami told police he had served in Japan's navy, the Maritime Self-Defense Force, for three years from 2002.

Prime minister Fumio Kishida warns violence will not be tolerated in defiant speech after the murder of former leader.

Kishida, who has vowed to smooth the rough edges of Abe’s economic policies and create a “new capitalism”, could end up adopting his hawkish foreign policy mantle, Brady added. “We live in a democracy where disputes and differences are resolved by voting … not with violence.” Largely uncritical media reporting of his numerous public appearances had pundits wondering if he was considering a bid for a third term as prime minister. The LDP was expected to win more than half the seats before Abe’s death, but a wave of sympathy could lift its share of the vote, according to some analysts. His mother, he said, had made several donations to the group, whose name police have not revealed, adding that he had visited several locations where Abe had given campaign speeches. Less certain is how brightly Abe’s torch will shine in the LDP, whose conservative wing is now emotionally, and ideologically, bereft.

Igipolisi kiriko kirakora amatohoza kw'igandagurwa ry'uwahoze ari umushikiranganji wa mbere w'Ubuyapani Shinzo Abe kivuga ko yari asanzwe afitiye umujinya ...

Ariko naho nyene, inkoho ntonto nizo zemewe gutungwa. Abe yabanje kuba umushikiranganji wa mbere mu kiringo c’umwaka umwe gusa mu 2006 hanyuma asubira kuva 2012 gushika 2020 imbere y’uko atanga imihoho, avuga ko yari afise ibibazo vy’amagara. Mu minota ya mbere inyuma y’ukuraswa, avugwa ko yari akomeye kandi avuga, ariko abaganga bavuze ko amaze gushikanwa ku bitaro atakintu na kimwe cerekana ko yari agikomeye. Avuga ko imyiyamamazo ibandanya ukuri kwamye kuri uno wa gatandatu mu gihe umutekano ucungerewe bikomeye, kandi ko n’amatora ategekanijwe kuri uyu wa Mungu azoba ukuri kwamye. Abe yapfiriye mu bitato ejo ku wa gatanu inyuma y’aho arasiwe ariko ashikiriza ijambo mu myiyamamazo. Igipolisi kiriko kirakora amatohoza kw’igandagurwa ry’uwahoze ari umushikiranganji wa mbere w’Ubuyapani Shinzo Abe kivuga ko yari asanzwe afitiye umujinya “ishirahamwe runaka”.

Ex-Japanese premier's body arrives at family home after assassination as campaigning continues for upper house election.

He appeared to fire two shots, each producing a cloud of smoke. He died of blood loss, despite receiving massive transfusions. “I believe it is undeniable that there were problems with the guarding and safety measures for former prime minister Abe,” said Tomoaki Onizuka, pledging a “thorough investigation.” The head of police in the Nara region where Abe was killed admitted on Saturday that there were “undeniable” flaws in security for the former leader. Police in Japan have admitted there were “problems” with security for the former prime minister Shinzo Abe, as his body arrived at his family home a day after he was assassinated on the campaign trail. The country was in mourning for Japan’s longest-serving premier and well-wishers gathered to pay their respects, with senior politicians dressed in black arriving at Abe’s Tokyo residence on Saturday to offer condolences.

Tetsuya Yamagami, the unemployed 41-year-old who confessed to assassinating Shinzo Abe, reportedly planned the attack for months.

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