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Japan mourns as funeral for former PM Shinzo Abe held in Tokyo


TOKYO: Family and friends of assassinated former prime minister Shinzo Abe gather at a Tokyo Tuesday Temple for a Private funeralas outside mourners condemned the leader’s “despicable” murder.
Abe was shot at close range Friday while delivering a campaign speech in the city of Nara, days before upper house elections that saw his ruling party consolidate power.
Murder suspect, 41 years old Tetsuya Yamagamiis in custody and has told police he targeted Abe because he believes the politician is linked to an organization he resented.
Although the funeral rites are only for family members and close people, long lines of people, some dressed in black, have come to Zojoji Temple to pay their respects. JapanThe longest serving Prime Minister.
“I couldn’t get over my sadness, so I came here to lay flowers and pray,” consultant Tsukasa Yokawa, 41, told AFP, describing Abe as “a great prime minister who has made do a lot to enhance Japan’s presence”. global stage.
Yuko Takehisa, a 51-year-old nurse who lives in Kanagawa, near Tokyo, said: “It’s despicable.
“More could be done to prevent it,” she said, complaining that “nobody reported” Yamagami to the police despite reports that he had test-fired a handgun before the attack. happen.
Satoshi Ninoyu, Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, a cabinet position that oversees the national police, on Tuesday pledged to hold a full review of any security flaws.
Local police admitted flaws in their guard program for the senior politician, who was approached from behind and shot in broad daylight.
Police searching the suspect’s home found pellets and other possible components to make a gun resembling the rudimentary weapon used in the attack, Japanese media reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed investigative sources.
Yamagami spent three years in the Japanese navy and told investigators that his mother’s large donation to a religious organization had caused financial trouble for the family.
The Unity Churcha global religious movement founded in South Korea in the 1950s that said on Monday that Yamagami’s mother was a member, but did not comment on any donations she may have made. .
Abe’s murder has caused shock and outrage in Japan and around the world, and messages of condolence have been spilled over.
Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Tuesday that more than 1,700 messages of condolence had been received from 259 countries, territories and international agencies.
On Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unscheduled stop earlier in Tokyo to pay tribute to Abe, describing him as a “visionary.”
And Taiwan Vice President William Lai was also in Tokyo for a surprise visit, Taiwanese media said.
The visit is likely to infuriate Beijing, although Hayashi said Mr. Lai was traveling as an individual and there was no change to Japan’s policy on non-governmental relations with Taiwan.
After Tuesday’s funeral, Abe’s body will be passed through several of Tokyo’s political landmarks, including the prime minister’s residence – known as the Kantei – and the country’s parliament, the Diet.
Public memorials are expected to be held at a later date, with suggestions that top foreign political leaders may attend, but no details have been released yet. announced.
Abe is the son of a political family and became the country’s youngest post-war prime minister when he first came to power in 2006, at the age of 52.
He resigned in 2020 at the end of his second term after suffering health problems.
His hawkish, nationalist views are divisive, especially his desire for pacifist constitutional reform, and he has weathered a series of scandals, including accusations of pro-democracy possess.
But he is praised by others for his economic strategy, dubbed “Abenomics,” and his efforts to put Japan firmly on the world stage, including cultivating close ties. closely with former US President Donald Trump.





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