After the brutal assassination of Shinzo Abe, Japan mourns and continues
One day after the murder of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Japan, where gun violence of any kind is rare, was just beginning to assimilate shock.
TOKYO — A day after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated at a political rally, Japanese police have faced fierce questions about the adequacy of his security, even as parliamentary candidates resumed campaigning on Saturday in a sign that despite the tragedy, political life was going on.
Vans white women carrying large photos of politicians and shouting their names into loudspeakers, lined the streets. The contestants bumped fists with supporters and posed for selfies. And politicians, including many from Mr Abe's Liberal Democrat Party, issued their final appeals to voters ahead of Sunday's election in a shadow of deep mourning.
Standing on a truck at the glitzy fashion district of Ginza in central Tokyo, Akiko Ikuina, an L.D.P. candidate and former pop idol vying for a seat in Japan's Upper House, wept, saying "those of us who are left behind must help bring Mr. Abe's vision for our country to fruition." During a moment of silence, a few of the hundreds of supporters in the audience wept.
It is common during Japanese campaign stops for politicians to mingle freely with voters, keeping almost no distance between themselves and the crowd.
But the ease with which a lone gunman could carry a gun wrapped in homemade duct tape to Mr. Abe, once one of Japan's most powerful leaders, may cause some in Japan to rethink that overture. Kishida, made his final campaign appearances in Yamanashi and Niigata prefectures on Saturday as police scanned residents' bodies and prowled rooftops. At one point, a security guard stood so close behind Mr Kishida as he urged a crowd that the guard appeared to be glued to the Prime Minister's back.
In the wake of Mr. Abe's assassination - in a country where gun deaths are rare, let alone the assassination of a major political figure - Japan was only beginning to absorb the shock.
Early Saturday, Akie Abe, Mr. Abe's widow, accompanied his body in a hearse to his home in Tokyo from Nara Hospital where he died. Mr Abe's parliamentary office said a vigil would be held on Monday, followed by a funeral on Tuesday at one of Tokyo's largest Buddhist temples.
Police were still looking for answers, and they said little Saturday. In the absence of much new information about the suspect in custody, Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, rumors have been circulating on social media.
Police Nara Prefectural Office continued to interrogate Mr. Yamagami. At a press conference on Saturday afternoon, police told reporters he had taken a train from a stop in his neighborhood to the site of the campaign rally where Mr Abe was shot dead. They also said they found multiple bullet holes in a vehicle used by the L.D.P. candidate Mr. Abe was campaigning for, but they didn't...
One day after the murder of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Japan, where gun violence of any kind is rare, was just beginning to assimilate shock.
TOKYO — A day after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated at a political rally, Japanese police have faced fierce questions about the adequacy of his security, even as parliamentary candidates resumed campaigning on Saturday in a sign that despite the tragedy, political life was going on.
Vans white women carrying large photos of politicians and shouting their names into loudspeakers, lined the streets. The contestants bumped fists with supporters and posed for selfies. And politicians, including many from Mr Abe's Liberal Democrat Party, issued their final appeals to voters ahead of Sunday's election in a shadow of deep mourning.
Standing on a truck at the glitzy fashion district of Ginza in central Tokyo, Akiko Ikuina, an L.D.P. candidate and former pop idol vying for a seat in Japan's Upper House, wept, saying "those of us who are left behind must help bring Mr. Abe's vision for our country to fruition." During a moment of silence, a few of the hundreds of supporters in the audience wept.
It is common during Japanese campaign stops for politicians to mingle freely with voters, keeping almost no distance between themselves and the crowd.
But the ease with which a lone gunman could carry a gun wrapped in homemade duct tape to Mr. Abe, once one of Japan's most powerful leaders, may cause some in Japan to rethink that overture. Kishida, made his final campaign appearances in Yamanashi and Niigata prefectures on Saturday as police scanned residents' bodies and prowled rooftops. At one point, a security guard stood so close behind Mr Kishida as he urged a crowd that the guard appeared to be glued to the Prime Minister's back.
In the wake of Mr. Abe's assassination - in a country where gun deaths are rare, let alone the assassination of a major political figure - Japan was only beginning to absorb the shock.
Early Saturday, Akie Abe, Mr. Abe's widow, accompanied his body in a hearse to his home in Tokyo from Nara Hospital where he died. Mr Abe's parliamentary office said a vigil would be held on Monday, followed by a funeral on Tuesday at one of Tokyo's largest Buddhist temples.
Police were still looking for answers, and they said little Saturday. In the absence of much new information about the suspect in custody, Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, rumors have been circulating on social media.
Police Nara Prefectural Office continued to interrogate Mr. Yamagami. At a press conference on Saturday afternoon, police told reporters he had taken a train from a stop in his neighborhood to the site of the campaign rally where Mr Abe was shot dead. They also said they found multiple bullet holes in a vehicle used by the L.D.P. candidate Mr. Abe was campaigning for, but they didn't...
What's Your Reaction?
![Three of ID's top PR executives quit ad firm Powerhouse [EXCLUSIVE]](https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ID-PR-Logo.jpg?#){kind=logo}
