Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Shinzo Abe death: Shock killing that could change Japan forever

Shinzo Abe death: Shock killing that could change Japan forever

Since news broke this morning of Shinzo Abe's shooting, messages have been pouring in from friends and contacts, all asking the same question: how could this have happened in Japan?

I felt much the same myself. Living here you get used to not thinking about violent crime.

The identity of the victim only makes the news more shocking.

Shinzo Abe may no longer be Japan's prime minister, but he's still a huge figure in Japanese public life, and probably the most recognisable Japanese politician of the last three decades.

Who would want to kill Abe? And why?

I'm trying to think of an equivalent - of another act of political violence that would be similarly shocking to the local population. The one that comes to mind is the shooting of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme in 1986.

When I say people don't think about violent crime here, I'm not exaggerating.

Yes, there are the Yakuza, Japan's famously violent organised crime gangs. But most people never come in to contact with them. Even the Yakuza shy away from guns because the penalties for illegal possession are just not worth it.

Owning a gun in Japan is extremely difficult. It requires no criminal record, mandatory training, psychological evaluation, and extensive background checks including police interviewing neighbours.

Consequently, gun crime virtually doesn't exist here. On average, there are fewer than 10 gun-related deaths in Japan each year. In 2017, there were just three.

Little wonder then that much of the attention has been focused on the gunman and the weapon he used.

Who is he? Where did he get the gun from? Japanese media is reporting that the 41-year-old is a former member of the country's self-defence forces, the equivalent of an army.

But closer inspection shows he only spent three years in the navy. The gun he used is more curious. Pictures of it lying on the ground after the shooting show what looks like a home-made weapon. Two bits of steel pipe stuck together with black gaffer tape, with some sort of handmade trigger. It looks like something fashioned from plans downloaded off the internet.

So, was this a deliberate political attack, or the act of a fantasist, someone who wanted to become famous, by shooting someone famous? So far, we don't know.

The news has shocked a country that prides itself on public safety


Japan has certainly had its share of political assassinations. The most famous was in 1960 when the leader of Japan's socialist party, Inejiro Asanuma, was stabbed in the abdomen by a right-wing fanatic wielding a samurai sword. Although right-wing extremists still exist in Japan, Abe, a right-wing nationalist, would be an unlikely target.

In recent years, we have seen another type of crime becoming more common here. The quiet, lonely male with a grudge against someone or something.

In 2019, a man set fire to a building housing a popular animation studio in Kyoto, killing 36 people.

The man told police he had a grudge against the studio because it had "stolen his work".

In another case in 2008, a disgruntled young man drove a truck into a crowd of shoppers in Tokyo's Akihabara district, then got out and started stabbing onlookers. Seven people were killed.

Before carrying out the attack he had posted a message online saying, "I will kill people in Akihabara" and "I don't have a single friend, I am ignored because I'm ugly. I am lower than trash".

It's not clear yet whether Abe's shooting fits in to the first or the second category. But it seems certain that the assassination will change Japan.

Given how safe Japan is, security here is very relaxed. During election campaigns, like the ongoing one, politicians literally stand on street corners giving speeches and shaking hands with shoppers and passers-by.

It's almost certainly why Abe's attacker was able to get so close and discharge the weapon he had cobbled together.

That surely has to change after today.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
×