Former Prime Minster and political heavyweight Shinzo Abe was cut down by an assassin while giving a political speech in Nara City. NPR. Abe was Japan's longest serving Prime Minster but stepped down in 2020 due to poor health. He was giving a speech on this weekend's elections in Japan when an assassin armed with a home-made shotgun fired twice, hitting Abe in the neck and back. The suspect in the killing is a 41 year old man who claimed to be upset with Abe and wanted him dead, but the motive for the attack remains unclear. Abe had a successful run as Prime Minster and was a nationalist who had a goal of revising Japan's constitution to allow a stronger military.
My Comment:
Absolutely shocking news out of Japan. This would be the equivalent of Donald Trump or Barack Obama being assassinated. But even that fails as Abe had a longer career than both. He was a huge figure in Japanese history and can be considered Japan's best post-war prime minster.
I had heard about Shinzo Abe assassination attempt last night and even then I was fairly certain he wasn't going to survive. He was shot point blank by a homemade black powder shotgun and at that close range he was going to need a miracle to survive. From what I understand the doctors made a heroic effort, giving him 100 units of blood for example, but the damage was just too severe.
The method of assassination was somewhat surprising as well. Japan is famous for its draconian gun laws to the point that it's impossible for most people to get a gun. Even shotguns are very hard to get. But that did not prevent this assassin from building his own black powder gun. It just goes to show that even the most draconian gun laws on earth can't stop gun crime if the criminal is determined enough.
Speaking of the assassin, details about him are scarce. He has been identified as a 41 year old veteran of Japan's self defense fleet. Motive is a mystery right now, all the media is saying is that he was "dissatisfied" with Abe, a statement so vague it could mean almost anything. Given my unfamiliarity with Japanese politics, I will refrain from speculating too much as to motive.
The Japanese people have to be shocked by this. Violence of any kind is rare there, let alone the assassination of a powerful and sometimes beloved political leader. To see him murdered like this has to have a great effect on these people. I don't know what the future will bring but Abe's legacy will be felt for generations, even ignoring the circumstances of his death.
For me personally, I always liked Abe. He seemed like one of the rare world leaders that actually cared about his people and wanted to do what was best for them. He was much like Donald Trump in that regard and it's probably a reason why they got along so well. I have some history with Japan, we had a foreign exchange student from there when I was growing up and I visited the country when I was a child, so this assassination bothers me more than it would otherwise...
I do have to say that I was not surprised that a major world leader, albeit a retired one, was cut down by an assassin. These are strange, stressful times and a lot of people are starting to crack. It's not just here in the United States either, as this incident shows. And given the trajectory the world seems to be on right now I have little hope of avoiding further incidents of this type. Given the intense media coverage the death of Shinzo Abe will rightfully get, I do fear that there could be copycat attacks both here and abroad.
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