Abe killer wanted to build bomb – House of Lords election underway

so. / (dpa/Reuters)

Overshadowed by the assassination of Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, elections to the upper house of the national parliament began on Sunday. The politician had been shot dead two days earlier during a campaign speech on the street. Even before his assassination by a former 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 (1 p.m. CEST).

A clear victory would put Japan’s incumbent Prime Minister Fumio Kishidas in 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.

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 security forces were deployed and citizens were checked with metal detectors. «We will never give in to violence. Let’s protect democracy,” Kishida called out to the people.

Abe assassin wanted to build bomb

According to the media, the assassin Abes, who was arrested at the scene of the crime on Friday, said he acted out of hatred for a religious group that Abe supported. His mother donated large sums of money to this “certain organization”, which ruined her. Neither the police nor Japan’s state-run media want to name the name. However, the online magazine “Gendai Business” claims to have learned from investigators that it was the controversial Unification Church of the late Korean cult 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 already been speculation in Japan’s social networks 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. However, he said he was “unsatisfied” with Abe. Originally, however, he wasn’t aiming for the right-wing conservative politician, but for a leader of the religious group. When the plan failed, he reportedly switched to Abe.

Bullet holes found in campaign vehicle

Meanwhile, Japan’s police have acknowledged shortcomings in protecting former Prime Minister Abe. Several bullet holes were found in a sign on a campaign vehicle belonging to the local candidate for whom Abe was speaking, it was 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. He then took a homemade gun from a shoulder bag and shot Abe from just a few meters away, as television images showed.

An expert told Japanese broadcaster NHK that security forces failed to stop the man when he had already drawn his gun or put Abe out of the line of fire by throwing him to the ground or standing in front of him after the first shot was fired had been.

In Japan, firearm crimes are generally extremely rare, especially since the rules on gun ownership are very strict. There are often fewer than two dozen cases per year. According to Japanese media, security guards are more likely to attack with knives or other objects.

Police found explosives and homemade firearms in the attacker’s apartment. He had experimented with different models. The man testified that he was able to fire six bullets at once with the murder weapon, as the newspaper “Yomiuri Shimbun” reported on Sunday, citing investigators. The unemployed man said that he had already started preparing in the spring. According to the Japanese media, he worked for a company as a forklift driver for a good six months until April before causing problems there and resigning. It is not yet clear what he did beforehand. He was in the Navy from 2002 to 2005 and regularly took part in shooting training.