Nara, July 9 (BNA) Large numbers of mourners on Saturday visited the scene of the bloody assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the western city of Nara, an extraordinary act of political violence that shocked the nation.
Japan’s tallest contemporary leader was shot dead while delivering a campaign speech on Friday morning by a 41-year-old man, in an act denounced by the political establishment as an attack on democracy itself, Reuters reported.
“I was just shocked that this kind of thing happened in Nara,” Natsume Niwa, a 50-year-old housewife, said after presenting flowers with her 10-year-old son near the scene of the accident at a downtown train station. .
Niwa said Abe, a conservative and architect of “Abenomics” policies aimed at reviving the Japanese economy, inspired the name of her son Masakuni, with his rallying cry of Japan as a “beautiful nation.” “Kuni” means nation in Japanese.
Campaigning resumed on the last day of campaigning before the vote for the Senate, which is expected to bring victory to the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, a protege of Abe.
“A wave of sympathy votes now could boost the winning margin,” James Brady, vice president of Teneo Consulting, wrote in a note. The Liberal Democratic Party, where Abe held significant influence, was already expected to win seats before the assassination.
Abe’s death has raised questions about security measures for public figures in Japan, where politicians usually make direct appeals to voters outside train stations and supermarkets during election campaign season.
A descendant of a political family who became the youngest prime minister in post-war Japan, Abe was taken to Nara Hospital after the shooting. He did not regain consciousness and was pronounced dead about five and a half hours after the late morning attack.
The police are scrambling to determine the details of the motive and method of Abby’s killer.
A convoy believed to be carrying the slain politician’s body left the hospital early on Saturday morning. Local media reported that he is believed to be heading to his residence in Tokyo.
Kishida on Saturday spoke with US President Joe Biden, who expressed his condolences and praised Abe’s leadership, NHK reported.
Abe played a key role in creating the Quartet, which aims to counter China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region. The other members, the United States, India and Australia, expressed their shock over the assassination in a joint statement.
“We will honor Prime Minister Abe’s memory by redoubling our work for a peaceful and prosperous region,” the statement said.