Bernard Delattre, edited by Ophelie Artaud
In the aftermath of Shinzo Abe’s assassination, the investigation seems to be at a standstill. The motivations of Tetsuya Yamagami, a 41-year-old ex-soldier, author of the fatal shots, are considered inconsistent. He says he killed the ex-prime minister because he would have been linked to a group to which his mother would have made several donations to the point of going into debt.
This Saturday, Japan wakes up in mourning after the assassination of Shinzo Abe. The population is in shock, especially since the investigation is not really progressing. The motivations of the author of the fatal shots are considered inconsistent. It is therefore unclear whether his act had a political motivation or whether it is unbalanced.
Unclear motivations
Tetsuya Yamagami, the assassin of Shinzo Abe, says he killed the former prime minister because he would have been linked to a group to which his mother would have made several donations to the point of going into debt. The name of this group is unknown. It could be a religious association and its possible closeness to Shinzo Abe is unconfirmed. The ex-soldier began last night a police custody which will be long at least three weeks, at the end of which it can be renewed without time limit.
His police custody could therefore drag on for months in spartan conditions: a tiny cell, not air-conditioned, lit 24 hours a day, and ten hours of interrogation a day, without access to a lawyer. 90 investigators are mobilized. So many staff. This is unprecedented in Japan for a criminal case.
The press and experts point to flaws in the security system that framed the fatal displacement of Shinzo Abe this Friday. “Heads will roll at the top of the national police”, assure the tabloids. In the immediate future, measures have been taken to strengthen the close protection of ministers and the most influential personalities of the country.