Japan: Former PM Shinzo Abe Fatally Shot at Campaign Event
Image credit: Getty Images [via The New York Times]
The Facts
- Shinzo Abe has died after being shot at a campaign event in the city of Nara, near Osaka, multiple sources confirmed. He was Japan's longest serving prime minister and was in office between 2006-2007 and 2012-2020.
- News reporters and camera crews were covering the event when they heard two shots ring out just after 11.30am local time on Fri., shortly after Abe began to speak. Footage from the scene showed security services detain the man responsible, identified as Tetsuya Yamagami, a 41-yr-old resident of the city.
- He was arrested on charges of attempted murder, and local media reported that police said he told investigators he was dissatisfied with the former PM and that he intended to kill him. Military sources confirmed to publications that the man had served in Japan's Maritime Self Defense Force for three years until around 2005.
Sources Split
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The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Abe, a world statesman, devoted himself to Japan and its people for years. This event is a great shock and tragedy – particularly in one of the world's safest countries where gun laws are extremely strict.
Establishment-critical narrative
Though nothing justifies this tragedy, Abe, despite being widely respected, came under increased criticism for his handling of COVID and the economic slump that followed. He also became a more controversial figure as he pushed to revise Japan's pacifist constitution, a contentious subject.
Metaculus Prediction
There is a 50% chance that the Liberal Democratic Party will lose its status as the largest party in the House of Representatives of Japan by May 2046, according to the Metaculus prediction community.