Assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July 2022

 On July 8, 2022, Shinzo Abe (安倍晋三), a former Japanese prime minister and member of the House of Representatives, was assassinated while speaking at a political event in Nara, Nara Prefecture. He was delivering a campaign speech for a Liberal Democratic Party candidate when he was shot at close range by a man identified as Tetsuya Yamagami. 

Abe was rushed to the hospital and later pronounced dead. The suspect was arrested at the scene and charged with murder after Abe's death. The assassination sparked an investigation into the Unification Church (UC), a religious movement with political ties to Abe and his family. 

The UC was criticized for pressuring believers to make excessive donations, and leaders and lawmakers were forced to disclose their ties to the organization to the public. The LDP announced that it would no longer be affiliated with the UC and expelled members who had not severed their ties to the organization. Two bills were passed to restrict the activities of religious organizations like UC and provide compensation to victims. Many countries expressed shock and dismay at Abe's assassination. 

Abe was the first former Japanese prime minister to be assassinated since 1936 and the first Japanese politician to be assassinated during an election campaign since 2007. Abe had a long-standing relationship with UC, where his father and grandfather were also active. UC was financially supported by two businessmen and nationalists, Ryoichi Sasakawa and Yoshio Kodama, who helped establish UC in Japan. UC officials were seen frequently visiting the neighboring Kishi mansion. 

UC members were utilized as unpaid campaign workers, and Liberal Democratic Party politicians, regardless of their religious views or affiliations, were required to visit UC headquarters in South Korea to receive theological lectures from UC founder Sun Myung Moon. Japanese authorities often shielded the UC from legal consequences for fraudulent and aggressive practices, which helped the organization gain much influence in Japan and lay the groundwork for its later expansion and establishment in the United States.

Development:

Abe's agenda:

In preparation for the upcoming election, on July 8, 2022, Abe planned to endorse candidate Shiro Matsumiya, but switched his support to Kei Sato after Matsumiya was involved in corruption and scandal. The local party did not intend to publicize the incident, but NHK reported it and it spread on Twitter.

Assassination:

While Prime Minister Abe was speaking, the suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, came within a few meters of him, despite the presence of his bodyguards. At around 11:30 a.m., he shot Abe in the back with a handgun after he said, "Kare wa dekinairyu o kangaeta goto wa..." (I thought of a reason I couldn't do it). 

The first bullet missed, and when Abe turned around, the second hit him in the neck and chest; he collapsed to his knees before taking a few steps forward. Tetsuya Yamagami was easily apprehended and arrested by Abe's bodyguards, and his firearm was confiscated. Police reported that Abe was conscious immediately after being shot, but a doctor on the scene said there was no sign of consciousness. Abe was transported by helicopter to a nearby hospital, where he is reportedly in critical condition. 

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at 2:45 p.m. that Abe was in critical condition and that doctors were doing their best. Despite the efforts of medical personnel, Abe was pronounced dead at 5:03 p.m., five and a half hours after the shooting. The cause of death was determined to be bleeding from damage to an artery below his collarbone caused by the bullet, despite receiving more than 100 blood transfusions.

Suspects:

Japanese police arrested 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, a former member of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder; he had no previous criminal record. After Abe's death, he was charged with murder instead of attempted murder.

"I thought Abe and a certain religious group were close, and I had a grudge against that religious group," Yamagami said of his motive for the crime. The Japanese news magazine Shukangendai reported that the religious organization was the Unification Church. A spokesperson for the Unification Church also said that Yamagami's mother was once a member but is no longer a member.

Japanese police said in a press conference that they seized priestly weapons similar to the gun used in the crime during a search of the suspect's residence.They also found records on the suspect's computer about sites related to weapons manufacturing.

In Mie Prefecture, Yamagami was born to a wealthy family in the construction industry. He was described as quiet and introverted in high school; in his yearbook, he wrote that he had "no idea" what he wanted to do in the future.  His father committed suicide when Yamagami was 4 years old. After his grandfather died, Yamagami's mother took over the family construction business.

The funeral:

On the afternoon of July 11, Abe's coffin was taken to Jojoji Temple in Tokyo's Minato Ward, where several Tokugawa shoguns are laid to rest. Abe's ceremony began at 6 p.m. According to the LDP, more than 2,500 people attended.

The next day, Abe's funeral was held at Jojoji. The ceremony, based on traditional Shinto rituals, was limited to Abe's family and other LDP members. After the funeral, Abe's coffin was paraded through the streets of Nagatacho, watched by large crowds lining the streets. The procession passed by the LDP headquarters, the National Diet building, and the prime minister's official residence before moving to Kirigaya Funeral Home in Shinagawa Ward, where he was privately cremated.  Abe was posthumously given the name "Tomihisa" to reflect his life on the political stage. A memorial service was planned for some time after the funeral and the traditional 49-day mourning period, with venues planned for Yamaguchi Prefecture and Tokyo's four wards.

The Japanese government officially decided to hold Abe's state funeral on September 27 at the Nippon Budokan.