Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday blamed inadequate police protection for the death of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot dead on Friday last week while giving an outdoor campaign speech.
Footage of the shooting in Nara, Japan, show that the gunman was able to approach Abe from behind, while security guards were focused on the front.
“I think there were problems with the security measures,” Kishida said.
Photo: Reuters
Officials at the Japanese National Public Safety Commission and National Police Agency are investigating what went wrong and would compile measures in response, Kishida said.
A team of national police officials arrived at the Nara prefectural police headquarters on Thursday for the probe.
“I urge them to carry out a thorough inspection and fix what needs to be fixed, while also studying examples in other countries,” he said.
Kishida also announced plans to hold a state funeral for Abe later this year, adding that his contributions at home and in boosting Japan’s security alliance with the US.
Abe’s nationalistic views drove the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) conservative policies.
“By holding a state funeral in memory of former prime minister Abe, Japan will show its determination not to cave in to violence and to firmly defend democracy,” Kishida said. “Japan will also show to the world its determination to keep up its vigor and open a path toward the future.”
A smaller funeral ceremony was held at a temple in Tokyo on Tuesday.
A state ceremony would be only the second for a former Japanese prime minister since World War II, following one for Shigeru Yoshida in 1967.
The use of tax money for a state funeral for the divisive leader received mixed reactions from opposition leaders.
Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki said many condolences were received from abroad and the plan is understandable.
However, Ichiro Matsui, head of the Japan Innovation Party, said it would require too much public money.
Abe was giving a speech in support of a LDP candidate in Sunday last week’s Japanese House of Councilors elections when he was shot.
The party and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, won a landslide victory in the polls, helped in part by sympathy votes for Abe.
However, his absence could trigger a power struggle in the wing of the party he led, shaking stability within the LDP.
A suspect was arrested immediately after the shooting and is being held for questioning for up to three weeks until prosecutors decide whether to press murder charges.
The suspect reportedly told police that he abandoned a plan to shoot Abe a day earlier at a speech in another city because of a requirement that bags be checked at the entrance.
Police and media reports said he told investigators that he killed Abe because of rumored links between the former prime minister and a religious group the suspect hated.
The suspect, 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, was reportedly upset because his mother made large donations to the Unification Church that bankrupted his family.
The assassination has shone a light on links between the LDP and the Unification Church, which is known for its conservative and anti-communist beliefs, as well as mass weddings.
The Japan branch of the South Korean-based church on Monday confirmed that Yamagami’s mother was a member and that Abe was not.
Abe has appeared in video messages to groups affiliated with the church.
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