Shinzo Abe’s shooter Tetsuya Yamagami initially planned to attack leader of Japan religious group that bankrupted his mum: police
- Yamagami, who is in custody, admitted that he had intent to kill Abe because he believed the ex-leader promoted the group in Japan
- He had repeatedly visited other locations where Abe delivered campaign speeches ahead of Sunday’s Upper House election
Abe died on Friday after being shot from behind during a stump speech near a railway station in the western prefecture of Nara. Yamagami was arrested at the scene where he was wielding a home-made gun.
Yamagami has denied he committed the crime because he was opposed to Abe’s political belief, according to police.
How Shinzo Abe’s killer thwarted Japan’s strict gun laws
Police searched his home on Friday, finding items that are believed to be explosives and home-made guns.
Yamagami, now unemployed, was working at a manufacturer in the Kansai region from around the autumn of 2020, but he quit in May this year, according to a staffing agency employee. He was previously a member of the Maritime Self-Defence Force for about three years through August 2005.
On Saturday morning, a car carrying the body of Abe left the hospital in Nara where his autopsy was conducted. His wife Akie was in the car which arrived in Tokyo in the afternoon.
The autopsy determined that there were two gunshot wounds, on Abe’s upper left arm and neck, police said. There was another wound on the neck but it is unknown how that was caused, they added.
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Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe dies at age 67 after being shot at a campaign event
Biden noted the “unwavering confidence in the strength of Japan’s democracy” and the two leaders also discussed how Abe’s legacy will live on as the two countries continue the important task of defending peace and democracy, according to the White House.
Kishida told reporters after the phone talks that he had conveyed to Biden Japan’s willingness to “protect democracy without yielding to violence.”
