On Saturday morning, a hearse believed to be carrying Abe’s body accompanied by his wife, Aki, left the hospital in Kashihara where the former prime minister was being treated after he was shot from behind by a gunman during a campaign speech in the western city of Nara. The hearse was later seen arriving at his residence in Tokyo, national broadcaster NHK reported. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) – the party that Abe once led – and other parties said they would continue campaigning on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s vote, in which they and coalition partner Komeito are expected to consolidate their majority in parliament. The politicians said they were determined to show that the assassination could not stop democracy. Meanwhile, police are trying to find a motive for the murder, amid shock and anger that a politician could be murdered in broad daylight in one of the world’s safest societies. The suspect arrested at the scene of Friday’s shooting, Tetsuya Yamagami, told police he initially planned to attack the leader of a religious group his mother had given money to, causing him to go bankrupt, Kyodo news agency reported, citing investigative sources. . . Yamagami, a 41-year-old Nara resident, 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 policies. The suspect had earlier said he had a grudge against a “specific organization” and believed Abe was part of it, although police declined to name the group and it is unclear if it exists. Yamagami worked at a manufacturing plant in the Kansai region of western Japan from autumn 2020 to May this year, according to Kyodo, citing an employment agency. He was previously a member of the Maritime Self-Defense Force – Japan’s version of the navy – for three years until August 2005. Police are investigating whether the suspect acted alone. Nara prefectural police said they would review whether security at Abe’s event – where he called on voters to re-elect his LDP colleague Kei Sato – was adequate amid criticism that it should have been stronger. Officials said no threats had been made against Abe, whose death is almost certain to revise the tradition of politicians’ close contact with voters. Japanese media reported that a wake for Abe would be held on Monday and a funeral for close relatives would be held the following day. Meanwhile, the tributes continued for the leader. On Saturday, three member states of the Quad group that includes Japan hailed Abe as a “transformational leader for Japan and for Japanese relations with each of our countries.” People offer prayers on Saturday at the site where Shinzo Abe was killed in Nara, western Japan. Photo: Jiji Press/EPA “He also played a formative role in establishing the Quad partnership and worked tirelessly to advance a shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Joe Biden, Anthony Albanese and Narendra Modi said in a joint statement from the US. Australian and Indian leaders. “Our hearts go out to the people of Japan – and Prime Minister Kishida – at this time of grief. We will honor Prime Minister Abe’s memory by doubling down on our work for a peaceful and prosperous region.” Even regional powers with whom Abe had clashed expressed their sympathy. Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday sent a message of condolence to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Chinese state media reported, and the Chinese embassy in Japan praised Abe’s “contribution to the improvement and development” of relations. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol called the killing an “unacceptable act”. Separately, Albanese said landmarks across Australia would be lit up in red and white in recognition of Japan’s loss. Biden – who earlier said he was “surprised, outraged and deeply saddened” – ordered flags on US government buildings to be flown at half-mast. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was deeply saddened by a killing that had “deeply shocked Japanese society”. “[Abe] he will be remembered as a staunch defender of multilateralism, a respected leader and supporter of the United Nations,” he said. On Saturday in Nara, an ancient western capital known for its Buddhist temples and free-ranging deer, a steady stream of mourners remembered their former leader, a man who was easily the country’s most recognizable politician. Although a politically divisive leader, Shinzo Abe was easily Japan’s most recognizable politician. Photo: Issei Kato/Reuters Alone and in pairs, they proceeded to place flowers, bottles of sports drinks, slices of watermelon wrapped in cellophane, and bags of candy. They bowed and clasped their hands in prayer. Some shed tears and bowed their heads again as they turned toward banks of television cameras. “I just couldn’t sit and do nothing. I had to come,” said 54-year-old Nara resident Sachie Nagafuji, visiting the scene with his son. Abe was a divisive leader, adored by conservatives fed up with decades of official psychological research into Japan’s wartime behavior but loathed by progressives who watched in horror as he used his party’s comfortable majority in parliament to loosen some of the legal shackles on the military, known as self-defense forces. Among his admirers was Rami Miyamoto, a 23-year-old company employee who had stopped to watch Abe’s speech on his way to a work meeting. “I’m in shock,” he said. “I followed Abe’s career as prime minister and admired what he was trying to do for Japan. I will remember him as someone who faced enormous challenges but always got back up and kept going. I will never forgive whoever did this.” With Reuters and Agence France-Presse
