Police in Japan have admitted there were “problems” with the safety of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, as his body arrived at his family’s home a day after he was killed during the campaign.
The country was mourning the longest-serving Japanese prime minister and supporters gathered to pay their respects, with tall black-clad politicians arriving at Abe’s residence in Tokyo on Saturday to offer condolences.
However, candidates also continued to campaign for Sunday’s upper house elections, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida saying: “We must never allow violence to suppress speech during elections, which are the basis of democracy “.
The assassination of Japan’s best-known politician has shaken the country and sparked shockwaves around the world, especially given Japan’s low levels of violent crime and strict gun laws.
Police are still gathering details of the man who opened fire on Friday, but the 41-year-old man named Tetsuya Yamaguchi has confessed to killing the former prime minister, motivated by the belief that Abe was linked to an unspecified organization .
The chief of police in the Nara region where Abe was killed admitted on Saturday that there were “undeniable” flaws in the former leader’s security.
“I think it is undeniable that there were problems with the protection and security measures of former Prime Minister Abe,” Tomoaki Onizuka said, promising a “thorough investigation.”
“In all the years since I became a police officer in 1995 … there’s no more remorse, no more remorse than this,” he said.
Early Saturday afternoon, Abe’s body arrived at his home, where the wicked gathered to offer prayers and flowers.
One, Tetsuya Hamada, said, “I’m surprised things like this are still happening in Japan. It makes me sad. How is it possible that this happened in broad daylight?”
Elections in Japan’s upper house will take place on Sunday as planned, and Kishida called on his supporters to “help us to the end.”
However, Abe’s death has cast a long shadow, and at the scene of his murder, 52-year-old Kayoko Ueda wiped away her tears and described herself as “dismayed”.
“I couldn’t believe something like that could really happen in Japan,” he said.
Yamagami’s motives are still unclear, and so far police have refused to identify the organization with which he believed Abe had ties. They are investigating claims that Yamagami served in the Japanese navy and said he appeared to have used a handmade weapon.
National broadcaster NHK said it described months of planning for the attack, including an initial plot with explosives that was later shelved in favor of gun construction.
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Security at local campaign events in Japan may be relatively relaxed, but given Abe’s profile, questions have been raised about whether measures to protect him were too lax.
Images of the attack showed that Yamaguchi was able to approach Abe from behind without being intercepted and pull a gun out of a bag. He seemed to make two shots, each producing a cloud of smoke.
Doctors treating Abe said he suffered multiple neck injuries and that the internal damage from the shooting went as deep as his heart. He died of blood loss, despite receiving massive transfusions.
The international reaction to Abe’s death was swift and harsh, with U.S. President Joe Biden saying he was “stunned, outraged and deeply saddened” and ordered that the flags of northern government buildings American waved at half mast.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said he was “deeply saddened” by the assassination, which the South Korean president called an “unacceptable act.”
Local media reported that an evening would be held on Monday evening and a funeral for relatives and close associates on Tuesday.