8-7-2023 (TOKYO) Japan commemorated the one-year anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday (July 8). Abe was fatally shot during an election speech by an individual who was angered by Abe’s connections to the Unification Church.
The shocking incident, captured on video, deeply shook the country, which has historically been unaccustomed to gun violence.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, along with other senior officials and lawmakers, joined Abe’s widow, Akie, at a private memorial service held at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo. After the service concluded, the public was allowed to offer flowers as a gesture of remembrance.
Among those paying their respects was Tsuu Ogawa, a 49-year-old hotel worker who coincidentally shares her birthday with the day of Abe’s assassination. Carrying flowers to the temple, she expressed her shock and hope that such a tragic event would never occur again in Japan.
Shinzo Abe is remembered for implementing economic policies aimed at ending years of deflation, such as aggressive monetary easing, fiscal stimulus, and deregulation. However, critics argue that these measures also exacerbated income inequality.
During his tenure, Abe also pursued a more assertive defense policy, increasing military spending and reinterpreting Japan’s war-renouncing constitution to permit Japanese troops to engage in overseas combat for the first time since World War II.
“As an office worker, I will support politicians who continue the work of Abe’s administration,” stated Atsuhiro Ueda, a 35-year-old, reflecting the sentiments of others paying their respects at the temple.
While Prime Minister Kishida has distanced himself from Abe’s economic agenda, he has maintained his predecessor’s assertive policies, announcing last year that Japan would double defense spending.
Abe’s assassination led to a public backlash against the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) when its close ties to the Unification Church were revealed. The suspected assassin, Tetsuya Yamagami, 42, who is yet to stand trial, allegedly used a handmade firearm to kill the 67-year-old politician. Prior to the shooting, Yamagami expressed grievances on social media, blaming the Unification Church for his mother’s financial difficulties.
The South Korean church, known for its mass weddings, has been accused of causing financial hardship by soliciting significant donations from its followers.
The revelations of Abe’s and many LDP lawmakers’ connections to the church, including accepting donations or utilizing its followers as election workers, prompted high-level resignations, including that of Economic Revitalization Minister Daishiro Yamagiwa.
While Prime Minister Kishida was not implicated in the scandal, his public support declined in its aftermath.
In April, concerns about political violence resurfaced when a man threw what appeared to be a pipe bomb at Kishida during a public appearance in western Japan. Fortunately, the prime minister escaped unharmed.
