Kishida blames inadequate police protection for Abe's death

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.

"until prosecutors decide whether to press murder charges." ??????

or should we just let him go? or charge him with 'disrupting business'? or.... charge him with showing up the ineptitude of Abe's security police? damn, if only we could make up our minds!

It wasn’t that there weren’t security around Abe -there was-they were looking the wrong way.

There was no perimeter around him.

Why was Abe endorsing a candidate on the streets?

Why not inside a rented space?

Is it a Japanese thing to stand up in the sweltering summer heat and ramble on?

Kishida is promoting more money be spent on police?

In low crime Japan?

For political speeches held in the streets?

Amazing Japan!

@Kurisupisu

Why was Abe endorsing a candidate on the streets?

Because that's how all candidates do it in Japan. Grass roots. He should have at least been standing with a big bus behind him so his back was covered.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday blamed inadequate police protection for the death of former leader Shinzo Abe

The overworked Japanese police will obviously need more resources as they are currently overwhelmed with crime waves.

Or address the influence and wealth of the tax exempt religions.

Ya' THINK ?!

We've seen and discussed time after time how pathetically useless Japan police officers are on this site. Just another example here. They can't stop red light runners so how could the useless dragnet prevent an assassin taking aim at a target of whom many had a grudge against.

until prosecutors decide whether to press murder charges." ??????

or should we just let him go? or charge him with 'disrupting business'? or.... charge him with showing up the ineptitude of Abe's security police? damn, if only we could make up our minds!

I know- Laughable isn't it?

Why was Abe endorsing a candidate on the streets?

Why was he endorsing a candidate at all? He wasn't popular.

Because that's how all candidates do it in Japan. Grass roots.

Amazing considering all the scandals he had. I would have thought that his brand would have been toxic for his party but nope.

The blame game. I often see one of Japan’s ex-top politicians standing on a bridge with many cars passing in four directions, alone apart from two old lady supporters.

It makes me scratch my head that prosecutors are still on the fence about charging murder to a man who gunned down another man in broad daylight and in plain sight? No amount of mental health tests, bowing and payment off-court should let this guy slip. I'm not a fan of Shin-chan, but he deserves justice at the very least. What I am afraid of is this might be the start of Kishida's rhetoric about beefing up internal security in Japan, and using it to justify the militarization of the internal security forces. Let's hope not.

Once again, lay blame AFTER the fact. The LDP has never learned about prior planning prevents piss-poor performance! I can not count how many times there have been knee-jerk comments or reactions after one incident or disaster here.

No one takes responsibility. Kishida is the PM, if anyone is to take responsibility, HE should.

Why was he endorsing a candidate at all? He wasn't popular.

He was still extremely popular, and the head of one of the largest factions within the LDP, plus as a former PM his voice still carried a hell of a lot of weight within the LDP and the people in general!

He was still extremely popular, and the head of one of the largest factions within the LDP, plus as a former PM his voice still carried a hell of a lot of weight within the LDP and the people in general!

He was popular within the LDP I'll give you that, but with the general public? I seriously doubt it. Which is why I was scratching my head as to why he would be campaigning for anyone.

Japan does not like change. Hence, old systems do not work anymore. Instead of changing with the times, Japan hangs onto the old ways while the world changes around them. Japan should have upgraded their efforts to protect the politicians the way America did a way long time ago. Guns can be made at home now. Get with it Japan. This is not the Edo period anymore.

In 1865, John Wilkes Booth quietly walked up behind President Lincoln at the theater and fired a single mini ball from a small derringer into the back of his head.

At the time, no could imagine a president being shot. Thus, the absence of a security detail to protect Lincoln.

In a way the same thing happened to Abe. No one was expecting it and security was lax, which was perfect for the assassin.

He is right, the security arrangements were shambolic, inadequate and those tasked with it were simply not up to the job. I am fully in favour of politicians personally interacting with the electorate in a democracy, indeed the more the better, but even in Japan a reasonable and competent level of personal security is needed. Every MP or candidate doesn’t need the equivalent wall to wall security deemed necessary for the US President but appropriate measured and above all professionally competent security is needed.

This is 2022. The world has known that Japan and every other country must enhance its policy on policing. Japan has not learned from other countries and this is why Kishida san said: Japan needs to look at what other counties are doing to protect its politicians.

It certainly looks like the influence and penetration of religious organisations in to Japanese political life needs to be brought out in to the light of public scrutiny.

Of course, duh!

an ex-prime minister should have at least 3 highly skilled body guards especially when in publicly!

Politicians who want to be close to voters run this risk. There is very little that police can do given these circumstances. I doubt they are allowed to order VIPs about. And they can't read minds. It's not like he was dressed as a ninja assassin. It's not fair to scapegoat the police in this instance. This guy does not appear to be affiliated to any group that the security services might be monitoring. He had a personal grudge. This was a worst case scenario for VIP protection. There have been no reports of online threats or anything like that. This guy just came out of nowhere.

The two security agents standing closest to Abe stood still after the first shot (deer in headlights) and reacted only AFTER the second shot, according to an animated re-enactment of the shooting shown by NHK News 7. A former Secret Service guy commented these guys' movements - or lack thereof - show they hadn't been trained properly at all.

No one was expecting it 

Political assassinations and attacks have actually been fairly common in postwar Japan

Welcome to the real world Japan! It only takes one whacko with a homemade gun to change everything. Sadly, I doubt if a greater police presence would have prevented this assassination. Japan will have to change its campaigning techniques to allow greater security for candidates. No more annoyingly noisy buses driving around with loud speakers blaring and the white gloved hand waving out the window. It's not the 1950's anymore.

Police and media reports say 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 the family.

Personally, I don't believe this at all. There is ALOT more to this story than that. Why did Yamagami go after Abe and not the leader of the Church? It makes no sense at all. Did his mother give the money to the church through Abe? I doubt it. The church bankrupted the Yamagamis so why didn't he go after the leaders of the church?

get more resources, so that we can have 50 police there, all looking forward and not covering Abe's back.

This is Japan, unfort no one ever questions senpai's instructions and challenges the norm. No one ever thinks bad things will happen, until it's too late e.g. Fukushima

Kishida is correct. The security failed to cover, or even watch, the back. If one bodyguard had been watching the back they would have been the perp raise a red flag by moving directly in a straight line towards the principal. So error #1 leads to error #2.

First shot, no one recognizes the situation, no one covers the principal. Allowing second shot. All hands only then converge on the perp, leaving the wounded principal lying on the ground unguarded. What if there was a second asassin?

Lax and unprepared because this kind of attack is unexpected in Japan. Better get on it if tey intend to continue holding international forums in Japan.

"until prosecutors decide whether to press murder charges." ??????

or should we just let him go? or charge him with 'disrupting business'? or.... charge him with showing up the ineptitude of Abe's security police? damn, if only we could make up our minds!

I guess you never heard of the phrase " innocent until proven guilty" Of course, they are going to press charges, after they gather all the evidence first. You don't press chargers until you complete the investigation.

an ex-prime minister should have at least 3 highly skilled body guards especially when in publicly!

He did and they took down the guy before could take anymore shots.

Good job Kishida, typical Japan and find a scapegoat to blame.

Yes the cops and security were a joke and extremely useless, but who’s fault was that? The people that put them on duty are just as much to blame as the actual assigned guards.

Maybe next time, workers will actually be trained properly and not just pass some written test or be hired by nepotism or what university they went to.

Captain Hindsight to the rescue.

What's done is done. And it shows regular citizens or the famous, we're all vulnerable to the wackos and/or stupid out there.

Apparently Abe died not as a direct result of the projectiles fired into him, but because of the wrong treatment he received immediately after he collapsed: the man frantically pumping his heart caused blood to leak out from the tiny wounds and flood Abe's body causing damage to the heart. I'm no doctor, but this is one explanation I heard from a Japanese.

Abe's body causing damage to the heart. I'm no doctor, but this is one explanation I heard from a Japanese.

Turns out neither was the Japanese person you heard it from. This is where the term "the blind leading the blind" comes from.

There were 4 security guards on site around the principal. One was assigned to watch the back. But he was watching a delivery man pushing a cart of I think water bottles and because of this failed to see the perp approaching. Obviously 2 guards assigned to watch the back could have prevented this asassination.

Need to organize a trip to the US Secret Service training ground in Maryland to learn from the best.

50 minutes till professional treatment, that’s the real scandal here. The security forces can be blamed but that won’t help. If they now check the visitors and bags, then a potential attacker throws something from far away, from a roof or uses a drone or rams all down with a big truck etc. No way. But a quick first qualified medical treatment right at the scene or at a nearby hospital or doctors’ might have made a difference, maybe, also not guaranteed.

Prosecutors decide whether to press murder charges

That is the most ridiculous and pathetic announcement.

He murdered Abe in broad daylight .

Premeditated murder.

When I was a London Metropolitan Police Officer, I was frequently tasked with protecting famous people in public scenarios outdoors.

First rule for Police in these situations is be located all around the famous person, to face the crowd and watch the crowd at all times.

The fact that wasn't done here demonstrates that Kishida is right, and somebody needs to lose their job and pension for gross incompetence. I would suggest that person should be the commanding Police Officer, or Secret Service person responsible for Abe's Protection.

Not just the police. Kishida should also take responsibility for not planning out this security as thoroughly. These politicians never take any form of responsibility. No surprise

The blind leading the blind

Well...strangerland were you there to visibly witness ?

I distinctly remember reading that a woman performed CPR on Abe moments after the shooting and you can go back to the article photo and see her double handed .

Besides u_s_reamer attention to detail and critical thinking is quite accurate .

I mean it was an obvious security failure on all fronts including whoever’s idea it was to hold an event in a freaking intersection with traffic allowed to pass by in front and back of these people too. Security was looking forward into the crowd of listeners while there were dozens more behind and across the street passing by. I don’t work security but that sounds like a mess to work with

"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."

If this suspect is not the guy let's hope they find and charge PM Abe's assassin soon.

"I think there were problems with the security measures," Kishida said.

I agree, but the guy with the homemade gun is also at least partly to blame.

@kyowa heiwa da yo ne

Well...strangerland were you there to visibly witness ?

I distinctly remember reading that a woman performed CPR on Abe moments after the shooting and you can go back to the article photo and see her double handed .

You may not be familiar with this expression. Blind leading the blind means the people involved knew not what they were doing. He’s not saying that she did not performed CPR but perhaps it was unnecessary and could even have caused excessive bleeding leading to death. Google says: 外行指導外行

I saw a photo of one bodyguard taking down the murder impecably, that one is competent, all the others are not . The photo reporter was competent too.

And the police responded by saying they were distracted by a cyclist. The lack of accountability is astounding.

Biden can go to Palestine without any security issues