10 Things to know about the Assassination of Shinzo Abe and his Murderer

Portrait of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe. Photo by Unknown Author on Wikimedia

10 Things to know about the Assassination of Shinzo Abe and his Murderer

On July 8, 2022, Shinzo Abe, a former Japanese prime minister and current member of the House of Representatives, was shot and killed. He was assassinated while speaking at a political event in Nara City, Nara Prefecture, Japan.

A man using a handmade weapon shot him from behind at close range while he was giving a speech for a Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidate. Abe was flown by a medical chopper to the hospital in Nara, where doctors declared him dead.

Tetsuya Yamagami, a 41 years old suspect was taken into custody for attempted murder there. However, after Abe was declared dead, the charge was later increased to murder.

The major reason why Tetsuya Yamagami shot Abe is that he had a vendetta against the Unification Church. Abe and his family had political ties to the church which made Tetsuya’s mother go bankrupt in 2002. The reason for the criticism of the UC’s alleged habit of forcing adherents into making extravagant donations sparked new interest from Japanese society and the media.

Yamagami has been in police custody waiting for trial as the prosecutors are waiting for his psychiatric assessment which should have taken 3 months. He is still waiting for his sentencing with his case being eagerly waited for.

Here are the 10 Things to know about the Assassination of Shinzo Abe and his Murderer:

1. Abe was the First Former Japanese Prime Minister to be Assassinated

Portrait of former Prime minister of Japan. Photo by Government of Japan on Wikimedia

Shinzo Abe was the Prime Minister of Japan between 2006 and 2007. He was also the Prime Minister from 2013 to 2020 but resigned due to some health concerns. Shinzo Abe was the longest-serving Prime minister in Japan’s post-war history.

He was the first former Japanese prime minister to be assassinated since Saitō Makoto and Takahashi Korekiyo. The two former leaders were killed on 26^th February 1936 during an incident.

Abe was also the first Japanese politician to get assassinated over the electoral campaign since then-mayor of Nagasaki, Iccho Itoh. Iccho was shot during his mayoral race in April 2007.

2. Police had Assured of High Security at the Venue but a Member of the Assembly was not Sure

The former prime minister had initially scheduled to deliver a speech on 8^th July 2022 in support of an LDP candidate ahead of elections. However, this meeting was abruptly canceled on 7^th July due to corruption and misconduct allegations. This event was replaced by a similar one in Nara Prefecture where Abe was to deliver a support speech to Kei Satō.

The Nara police department and Satō’s campaign staff ensured they did a thorough inspection of the site. The head of police assured of high security at the scene before the incident.

However, one Prefectural assembly member was not assured of security at the site. “I thought it was a dangerous place that made it easy to attack former Prime Minister Abe from the cars and bicycles that pass along the road behind him.”

3. Abe had Two Sets of VIP Protection Officers before his Assassination

Former Prime Minister Abe held a meeting with New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key. Photo by Unknown Author on Wikimedia

On 8^th July 2022 at approximately 11:10 AM, Satō began addressing the crowd at a road junction near the North exit of Yamato-Saidaiji Station. The former prime minister arrived nine minutes later and began delivering his speech at 11:29 AM.

Abe was accompanied by tight security from two sets of VIP protection officers. He was well protected by the VIP protection officers from the Tokyo Metropolitan. Abe was also accompanied by the VIP protection officers from the Nara Prefectural Police before being assassinated.

4. Shinzo was Shot from Behind with a Homemade Gun

As he was delivering his speech, the suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami approached Abe from behind, a few meters away from his security. He drew his homemade gun which resembled a sawn-off, double-barreled shotgun. This homemade gun was capable of firing six bullets at a go.

Tetsuya missed his first shot which was aimed at Abe prompting him to turn around. After turning around, the second shot was fired hitting the former prime minister in the neck and chest area. Abe took some steps forward, went down on his knees, and collapsed.

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5. Abe’s Security did not React Immediately after the First Shot

The immediate aftermath of the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Photo by Tokumeigakarinoaoshima on Wikimedia

After Abe went down on his knees and collapsed, his security officers managed to detain the suspect who never resisted arrest. This whole incident raised questions about why the two sets of VIP protection officers never reacted quickly after the first shot was fired.

The security guards revealed that the first gunshot sound sounded very different from a conventional firearm. They thought that it was reminiscent of fireworks or a tire blowout.

6. The Former Prime Minister Died of Blood Loss Despite 4 Hours of Transfusion

Several paramedics responded urgently to this incident and were quick to rush Abe to a local hospital. He was then moved to Nara Medical University Hospital in Kashihara where he was reported to have no vital signs. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held a press conference at 2:45 PM claiming Abe was in a critical condition and doctors were doing their best.

Abe was declared dead at the hospital at 5:03 pm, or about five and a half hours after being shot. This was despite the best efforts of the medical staff. Despite four hours of blood transfusions during which 100 units of blood were given, hospital doctor Hidetada Fukushima said that Abe’s death was due to blood loss.

According to Professor Dr. Hidetada Fukushima, Abe had been shot twice and only one bullet was found on his body. Abe died from blood loss when a bullet severed an artery under his collarbone, according to the results of the police autopsy.

7. The Suspect was Initially Charged with Attempted Murder and later Murder after Abe’s Death

The positional relationship between Shinzo Abe and the shooter on his assassination. Photo by Asanagi on Wikimedia

The Nara Prefectural Police detained Yamagami at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder. The charges were later changed to murder after Abe was declared dead.

Following his arrest, Yamagami was taken to the Nara Nishi Police Station. He was characterized as being composed and not trying to run away. Yamagami had never been arrested before.

Yamagami was detained in the Osaka Detention House and underwent a psychiatric assessment to establish whether he is mentally fit to stand trial before any official charges were filed against him.

8. The Family of Yamagami had Suffered Double Suicide and he Attempted Suicide

A background check for Tetsuya Yamagami revealed several details about a dark past in his family. His family had been hit by double suicide and he had attempted to commit suicide while in the military.

In 1984, his father committed suicide by jumping off a building when Yamagami was 4 years old. His older brother had battled against lymphoma for a long time and could not afford medical treatment. He committed suicide in 2015 which impacted Yamagami.

In August 2002, Yamagami enlisted in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). He was stationed at Kure Naval Base and given the destroyer JS Matsuyuki. He attempted suicide in February 2005 while serving in the military to provide his siblings with life insurance.

Also, read 10 Famous Murders in History.

9. Abe and his Family’s Political Ties to the Unification Church made Tetsuya Kill Him

Nobosuke Kishi with the Abe family. Photo by Unknown Author on Wikimedia

The motive of Tetsuya Yamagami in killing Shinzo Abe was declared to be personal and not political. He believed that the political ties of Abe and his family to the Unification Church had brought financial strains to his (Tetsuya’s family). Around 1991 and 1998, his mother joined the church and gave out about 100 million yen (US $720,000).

She also gave the church a parcel of land as well as the house she was living with her three children. This made her get declared bankrupt in 2002. However, Tetsuya’s mother continued donating to the church after her bankruptcy.

The whole incident made the family of Tetsuya Yamagami struggle financially and depended on his relatives. Tetsuya Yamagami lay all the blame on the Unification Church which drove him to research Abe’s connections to them. This happened months before the assassination as he believed that Abe spread the church’s influence in Japan.

10. The Suspect had an Initial Motive of Killing the Church’s High-ranking Official

Before assassinating Shinzo Abe, Yamagami had an Initial plan of killing a high-ranking official of the church. He confessed to wandering around the church carrying a knife waiting for an opportunity to stab Hak Ja Han. Yamagami had also planned to kill Han using a Molotov cocktail during her visit to Aichi Prefecture but gave up after not entering the church.

He also had an idea of bombing the church as he had bought a pressure cooker to make a bomb. However, he decided to abandon the bombing plan as it could have killed several innocent people. He later opted to make guns that he could use easily in his target.

After watching Shinzo Abe praising Hak Ja Han, Tetsuya Yamagami decided to target him rather than the church official. He made his research and committed suicide.

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