Under the impact of the assassination attempt on Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the country’s voters were called on Sunday to vote on the occupation of the upper house of the national parliament. The politician had been shot dead two days earlier during a campaign speech on the street. Even before his assassination by an ex-marine, polls showed that Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its smaller partner Komeito were likely to consolidate their previous majority.
Half of the 248 seats in the House of Lords are up for grabs every three years. Polling stations close at 8 p.m. local time. A clear victory would strengthen Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s position of power at a time when Japan’s economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic is being threatened by rising energy and food prices. In view of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and China’s drive for power, his party is also calling for a sharp increase in military spending.
Meanwhile, the arrested Abe assassin was handed over to prosecutors on Sunday. The unemployed, 41-year-old former marine shot the politician dead with a homemade gun during a campaign speech in the city of Nara on Friday. After his arrest, he said he acted out of hatred for a religious group that supported Abe, according to media reports. His mother donated large sums of money to the religious organization, which ruined it. Neither the police nor Japan’s state-run media have so far wanted to name the group.
Media: Assassin planned bomb attack
The online magazine gendai business However, he now claims to have learned from investigative circles that it was the controversial Unification Church of the late Korean sect founder San Myung Mun. Also known as the Mun Sect, the Unification Church has members in many countries, including Japan, and supports conservative political causes. Politicians like former US President Donald Trump and Abe are considered friendly towards her.
Mun, who was strongly anti-Communist, founded it in 1954. Thanks to a devoted following, he built a corporate empire that made him a billionaire. He was known for grand performances, which included mass weddings. There had previously been speculation on Japan’s social media that the Abe assassin could have meant this group. There is no confirmation for this.
According to the media, the confessed assassin denied that he acted out of resentment over Abe’s political beliefs. Originally he wasn’t even aiming for the right-wing conservative politician, but for a leader of the religious group. According to the news agency Kyodo on Sunday he is said to have tried to build a bomb. In his apartment, the police found explosives and homemade firearms that resembled the murder weapon. According to his own statements, he was able to fire six bullets at once with this, the Japanese newspaper reported Yomiuri Shimbun On Sunday.
Because of the attack, the last campaign appearances were accompanied by strong security precautions. It is actually common in Japan for politicians to hardly keep their distance from the citizens. However, when Kishida completed his final performances in Yamanashi and Niigata prefectures, many police officers were on duty and citizens were checked with metal detectors. “We will never give in to violence. Let’s protect democracy,” cried Kishida.
Meanwhile, Japan’s police have acknowledged shortcomings in protecting ex-Prime Minister Abe. Several bullet holes were found in a sign on a campaign car belonging to the local candidate for whom Abe spoke, it said on Saturday without further details. “It is undeniable that there were problems with security,” admitted Nara Prefectural Police Chief Tomoaki Onizuka. The day before in the city of Nara, the perpetrator had been able to approach Abe, who was standing on a traffic island, from behind without hindrance. A wake for the murdered man is scheduled for Monday and the burial with close relatives the following day, his office announced. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wanted to stop in Japan on his way from Bangkok to express his condolences for Abe’s death, the State Department said on Sunday.