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Abe's killer tested homemade gun at religious group's facility: sources

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Despicable

1 ( +1 / -0 )

all of Antiquesaving's comments about the Soka Gakkai are 100% incorrect, from my own personal involvement.

I imagine Aum members would have said the same thing.

Like I said why would I believe a member of a cult when they say it isn't a cult.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

No

I doubt that the son, as a foreigner would not be allowed to handle weapons in the armed services here.

Anyone can prove that not to be the case?

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Kyo wa heiwa dayo ne

Garypen and Redstom

I guess you missed the info that the shooters mother suffered financial demise because of forced donations ?

Antiquesaving is correct !

Nnnnnnope. You're both wrong. It was the Unification Church, if that wasn't clear from all of the posts and news stories.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Antiquesaving

And you can't read or don't know how to understand.

I was talking about the person defending SG.

I can read and understand just fine, when something is written clearly and intelligibly, which that particular sentence was not.

If you read my original comment correctly which of course you didn't because you were to involved in jumping to defend SG before fully reading understanding I pointed out despite being a cult, despite my not liking SG demanding large donations and taking everything from followers isn't something they do.

I read all of your comments concerning Soka Gakkai. They were almost all incorrect. You said they require a percentage of income as a donation. They do not.

You also conflated them with Aum Shinrikyo and Branch Davidians, which is ludicrous.

And, wrote that Komeito would establish some kind of religious doctrine into law, which is also ludicrous. Plus, if it wasn't for Komeito you wouldn't have gotten that 10man covid stimulus, just a POS Abe-no-mask.

But what they do is get on comments sections go ballistic on any negative comments and not finish reading of understanding as well as deny being a cult.

I'm not ballistic, by any means. I'm just pointing out the comments you have made about Soka Gakkai that were in error, which is most of them, especially the part about it being a "cult". Perhaps, they have a different definition of the word "cult" in Canada than they do in the rest of the English-speaking world.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Actually, the gun looks like a hand cannon or fire lance crossed with an arquebus, with the second barrel being the only relationship to a shotgun.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Oh Rodney Rodney Rodney…..something that most of the civilized world does not recognize. UK being part of that, so why would show Crimea as part of Russia?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Alfie Noakes, a proper thank you!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

garypen

Today 02:35 pm JST

Antiquesaving

> Ah as I suspected SG.

> Ah. As I suspected, you are incorrect...again. You're very good at that.

> (It was the Unification Church.)

And you can't read or don't know how to understand.

I was talking about the person defending SG.

If you read my original comment correctly which of course you didn't because you were to involved in jumping to defend SG before fully reading understanding I pointed out despite being a cult, despite my not liking SG demanding large donations and taking everything from followers isn't something they do.

But what they do is get on comments sections go ballistic on any negative comments and not finish reading of understanding as well as deny being a cult.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Apologies, jumped the gun with this (no pun intended).

RedstormToday  12:45 pm JST

How was he able to test his weapon at the Loonies Church? Must have made a loud bang or two.

"he tested a homemade gun at a facility connected to a religious group"

This has yet to be properly explained.

NemoToday  11:52 am JST

How exactly does one test something that loud and not raise suspicions?

Get far enough into the countryside and you'll hear the occasional shots from hunters.

David Quintero NavarroToday  02:17 pm JST

We will find out what religious cult allowed this idiot to shoot make and shoot weapons and the law will go after them.

The shooter is anti Moonies and was not "allowed" by them to shoot and make weapons. He is anti because the Moonies fleeced his mother of all the family money and thus his inheritance. His original intention, if you read the story, was to shoot an executive of the Moonies.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/07/5d258295996e-urgent-unification-church-says-abe-shooters-mother-is-follower.html

Kyodo News has the above story linking Unification Church to the suspect's mother.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

RedstormToday  12:45 pm JST

How was he able to test his weapon at the Loonies Church? Must have made a loud bang or two.

"he tested a homemade gun at a facility connected to a religious group"

This has yet to be properly explained.

NemoToday  11:52 am JST

How exactly does one test something that loud and not raise suspicions?

Get far enough into the countryside and you'll hear the occasional shots from hunters.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Antiquesaving

Ah as I suspected SG.

Ah. As I suspected, you are incorrect...again. You're very good at that.

(It was the Unification Church.)

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

We will find out what religious cult allowed this idiot to shoot make and shoot weapons and the law will go after them

There won’t be an investigation as this would light up the links that Shinzo Abe had with the ‘group’

The group that the mainstream media in Japan has obviously been told not to mention.

Censorship again….

2 ( +2 / -0 )

We will find out what religious cult allowed this idiot to shoot make and shoot weapons and the law will go after them.

We know which cult it is; Unification Church.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The Soka Gakkai would never approve of anything like this, it's horrible, senseless violence.

We will find out what religious cult allowed this idiot to shoot make and shoot weapons and the law will go after them.

Rest in peace Mr.Abe

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

somehow, Japanese major media avoid to use the name "Unification Church" unlike other countries.

This "religion group" seems to be strong political taboo in Japan.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/09/shinzo-abe-assassination-election-blinken/

The Washington Post confirms that the suspect's mother was a member of Unification Church in Nara.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

https://apnews.com/article/shinzo-abe-japan-tokyo-elections-assassinations-1631cccdc3c1d8997cd9d17544e68d66

The AP have reported that it is The Unification Church (The Moonies). Hard to deny now when the most respected news agency says it.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

AntiquesavingToday  01:04 pm JST

Did you deliberately ignore the following:

more "blunderbuss" a scatter shot, muzzleloaded precursor to the shotgun.

Also know as a handheld grapeshot cannot or grapeshot Flintlock/matchlock pistol.*

No, and it has nothing to do with gun powder as I noted.

Do you know how a shotgun does its job?

Yes. And if you read my comment you would know the shotgun does not have barrel grooves.

You are still thing rifle not shotgun.

Rifle as the name implies is a barrel that has been "rifled" another way of saying the bore has grooves cut in to make a single bullet exit with more accuracy and spin.

Shotguns and not Rifled are called smoothbore and use multiple projectiles in a single shot that scatter in a wide spread ( in a cannon they call it grapeshot.

In all probability the barrels were smoothbore loaded with multiple small projectiles ( such as dozens of ball-bearings)

Such a weapon would only be effective at close range.

Think rabbit or duck hunting shotgun not deer rifle.

Right, exactly as I noted previously; seems you ignored my statement:

The difference with this handheld shotgun and rifles or handguns has much less to do with the type of projectile used or the type of gun powder, and more with the inside of the barrel.

A rifle or present day handgun is extremely accurate because of barrel rifling (grooves inside the barrel), which gives torque to the bullet and causes it to spin, and as a result providing aerodynamic stability and making the shot accurate.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

So why do they not say if the "religious organization" was the Moonies or Sokka Gakkai or something else? I do not get the secrecy. When they are talking about Aum or Aleph, they do identify them.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

painkiller

Today 12:44 pm JST

Did you deliberately ignore the following:

more "blunderbuss" a scatter shot, muzzleloaded precursor to the shotgun.

> Also know as a handheld grapeshot cannot or grapeshot Flintlock/matchlock pistol.

Do you know how a shotgun does its job?

You are still thing rifle not shotgun.

Rifle as the name implies is a barrel that has been "rifled" another way of saying the bore has grooves cut in to make a single bullet exit with more accuracy and spin.

Shotguns and not Rifled are called smoothbore and use multiple projectiles in a single shot that scatter in a wide spread ( in a cannon they call it grapeshot.

In all probability the barrels were smoothbore loaded with multiple small projectiles ( such as dozens of ball-bearings)

Such a weapon would only be effective at close range.

Think rabbit or duck hunting shotgun not deer rifle.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

What is striking is that the motive of the crime has been partially obfuscated for some reason. The suspect hated a 'certain religious organization' for fleecing his mother, that he claimed Abe was somehow connected.. Seems kind of fishy that it is kept so hush-hush. On the one hand, it could be to prevent attacks on the organization in question. More likely, but by no means definitely, it is that the government wants to distance itself from any connections it may have with this 'mystery religion'.

The supreme irony of this, possibly being that the Japanese public may never know with 100 percent certainty exactly why Abe was murdered-because of the types of press restrictions he enacted while in power.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

AntiquesavingToday  12:23 pm JST

Think less riffle or present day handgun 

The difference with this handheld shotgun and rifles or handguns has much less to do with the type of projectile used or the type of gun powder, and more with the inside of the barrel.

A rifle or present day handgun is extremely accurate because of barrel rifling (grooves inside the barrel), which gives torque to the bullet and causes it to spin, and as a result providing aerodynamic stability and making the shot accurate.

So, it is incredible that the shooter was able to hit Abe with any of his shots, since that handmade shotgun with plastic barrels is nowhere near as accurate as any rifle or gun.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

On Sky News Soka Gakai was named as the religious group

Sky News shows Crimea as part of Ukraine even though it rejoined Russia in 2014. Please don’t quote sky news as fact in a serious conversation.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

20 years ago if you lost your wallet no body is gonna touch it or pick it up; but nowadays they do. Nobody has the right to take a life. Abe was a good man he change the way politics is been played in Japan. My heart bleeds. This should not happen again not to anyone. Let's be a good citizen and contribute positively to our society.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

These are the mooonies. And anytime you see the words, "Second coming of Christ," nothing ever good seems to follow. In fact, nothing good came from the first, so it's no surprise.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I have the same questions. If it wasn't a shotgun shell, this guy was either a fanstastic shot or damn lucky. Even at that range, hitting a target like that while moving, with a short barreled weapon, WITH home made ammo... not an easy thing to pull off.

Ok folks simple modified and slightly more modern version of matchlock or flintlock pistols or musket.

Not difficult to make with available parts no shell or bullet needed ( probably ball-bearings) the heavy smoke is a giveaway to black power (AKA old fashion gun powder) was used.

Think less riffle or present day handgun and more "blunderbuss" a scatter shot, muzzleloaded precursor to the shotgun.

Also know as a handheld grapeshot cannot or grapeshot Flintlock/matchlock pistol.

The information for these weapons is now sadly readily available on the internet (previously one would attract attention by going to the library or buying books or just asking too many unusual questions).

So now you can find out how to make just about anything on the web from fixing my toilet to building bomb I even once saw a site giving the instructions on how to make nitroglycerin ( I was actually looking for information on my new medication for my heart with includes Nitro pills and spray a bit of a shock to see how to make explosives).

So now we know it is not difficult to build or find out how to build these devices.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

this very heartbroken i still can't imagine it how a humble man who served his country will be killed this way. This should be a wake up call to the government to change the constitution. Some of the laws need to be amend for security reason. If there were armed security men with uniform around i don't think this man wil be bold to walked pass arms security men to kill a prime minister. This even happen in a third country nation. Time has change and the japanese people have change too.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

To illustrate how ludicrous this media blackout on the name of the religious organization in question is at this point, think about how quickly the media was willing to name another organization that the shooter was associated with: the Maritime Self Defence Forces.

Within an hour or two of the shooting occurring the news was reporting that he was a former MSDF member.

So, why is it we can learn that the guy is former MSDF almost instantly, but we can't learn the identity of the religious group which he had a dispute with?

I guess its because him being former MSDF is not particularly embarassing for Abe or the LDP, but naming the religious group and looking into what they were doing and how they were related to him and the LDP would be.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Composed of two metal pipes held together with tape and employing projectiles placed in small plastic shells fired from both barrels, the weapon was comparable to a shotgun, they said.

If both times he fired the weapon a projectile hit Abe, that is pretty good accuracy.

And kind of surprising if there was not more than one projectile fired from each barrel.

I have the same questions. If it wasn't a shotgun shell, this guy was either a fanstastic shot or damn lucky. Even at that range, hitting a target like that while moving, with a short barreled weapon, WITH home made ammo... not an easy thing to pull off.

But if it was a shotgun shell (which would increase the odds of a hit) certainly there would be collateral casualites, right?

And from the video, which I admit is not definative, Abe looks unhurt after the first shot.

There are a lot of details left to work out in the investigation.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

How exactly does one test something that loud and not raise suspicions?

I would say that this beggars belief but he did walk in broad daylight with the gun leveled at a former PM and get off not one, but 2 unbstructed shots, so.....

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I don’t know why the Japanese media isn’t naming them.

Either they don't know because the authorities aren't telling them, or because they don't want to spread hate or false accusations against the group which could ensue.

Or, there really is some deep connection between the LDP and this group and they have instructed the media not to name them.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

This is starting to feel like humanity is still in the 10th century medieval struggle to separate the church and the state.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

The security detail was a joke. They were all looking in the same direction as Abe....the ones behind are meant to be looking OUTWARD not inward. The shooter was able to cross a cordon and casually amble to the back of Abe and fire 2 shots, the first of which missed and made Abe turn round....no one went running towards it, they froze and Abe got shot again and received the fatal shot. There was also an old man casually cycling through the rear......the security really was a joke.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Redstorm

Today 10:56 am JST

Antiquesaving

> Freedom of religion is guaranteed in our constitution. I can only guess you don't support that

I support FREEDOM FROM RELIGION!

Religious groups have one goal that is to impose their ideas, morales and beliefs on everyone and if you say that isn't true then you are not being honest, otherwise what is the point of a religion.

One person's religious freedom is another person's oppression, we see it all the time, women's rights, LGBTQ rights, abortion, etc...

If Komeito ever got full power it would impose its rules and belief on all of us, that is what religions do and more so cults.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

The Moonies refer to themselves as a ‘family’

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

The SG is not a cult but you failed with your accusations over donations so now you must try another angle about it being a cult.

Is what all cults say when you call them a cult.

I am sure if you asked heavens gate , Aum shinrikyo, Branch Davidians, etc.. if they are cults they would say no as will the Moonies.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Redstorm

Today 10:13 am JST

Ah as I suspected SG.

Having had a lot of experience with SG especially Gaijin SG.

I wouldn't believe a word they said even if they told my ice was cold.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

Garypen and Redstom

I guess you missed the info that the shooters mother suffered financial demise because of forced donations ?

Antiquesaving is correct !

2 ( +4 / -2 )

LDP and Komeito are an alliance of convenience. LDP gets the Soka Gakkai voting machine working for them and Komeito gets a seat on the table and an influence far above the number of seats they have.

LDP has a history of working against Soka Gakkai before 1999, when the alliance was formed. LDP brought together various anti-Soka Gakkai groups after they lost power in 1993, including the Rissho Koseikai and various Japanese tabloids and then backed them to launch vicious attacks on Soka Gakkai.

Anyone who thinks that LDP is in bed with Soka Gakkai has no clue what he is talking about.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Composed of two metal pipes held together with tape and employing projectiles placed in small plastic shells fired from both barrels, the weapon was comparable to a shotgun, they said.

If both times he fired the weapon a projectile hit Abe, that is pretty good accuracy.

And kind of surprising if there was not more than one projectile fired from each barrel.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

As much as I hate Soka Gakai ( well all religions) they are not the type of cult that demands large donations beyond ones ability, that is one of the reasons it has so much power.

Members are required to donate a percentage of their yearly income generally nothing more and recruit new members to do the same.

I was a Soka Gakkai member for over 20 years in 3 different countries and did not donate even one cent during my time. There is no such requirement.

There were regular zaimu contributions organized and there was a push from the leadership to donate whatever amount big or small one could with sincerity, but it was voluntary. I saw some rich SGI members donating 6 figure sums every year, but there was no distinction between those who contributed and those who did not.

The only time they asked for money was when they gave the Gohonzon, and that too was a token amount of 30 dollars.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Longest serving prime Minister not Japan's longest serving leader.

Why they can't get this simple fact correct ?

0 ( +3 / -3 )

garypen

Today 09:23 am JST

And

Redstorm

Today 09:38 am JST

Ex in-laws family all SG I know first hand.

-4 ( +4 / -8 )

Antiquesaving

As much as I hate Soka Gakai ( well all religions) they are not the type of cult that demands large donations beyond ones ability, that is one of the reasons it has so much power.

Members are required to donate a percentage of their yearly income generally nothing more and recruit new members to do the same.

Nope. You must be thinking of the Mormon church in the US. (I believe it's 10% of one's income?)

Soka Gakkai has no such requirement.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

After the CIA turned off the money-spigot, the LDP's "ghost in the machine" has been corporate financial backing and money donations from "anti-communist", "religious" cults and assorted right-wing kooks funneled to individuals with a penchant for nationalistic posturing and a predilection for right-wing causes.

11 ( +12 / -1 )

https://shingetsunewsagency.com/2022/07/10/the-crime-that-killed-shinzo-abe/

Full background on The Unification Church and Abe's links to it.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

Who cares what religious group it was! It won't change anything

-4 ( +4 / -8 )

So maybe Japanese politicians should stop campaigning in front of train stations and do it from behind a podium.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

I’ve been here almost 20 years. I didn’t realize the LDP was in bed with the Unification Church. They’re a cult. I don’t know why the Japanese media isn’t naming them. I grew up in DC and I know they have some deep connections and influential lobbyists. Abe didn’t deserve to die but the story makes sense now.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

Testing and due diligence is important. This guy took his craft seriously. However, he should have used his intelligence in his career. Not in his ideology.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

As much as I hate Soka Gakai ( well all religions) they are not the type of cult that demands large donations beyond ones ability, that is one of the reasons it has so much power.

Members are required to donate a percentage of their yearly income generally nothing more and recruit new members to do the same.

Moonies on the otherhand try getting as much as possible including trying to get people to leave their inheritance to the group.

I don't know which it is but the tactics sounds more like Moonies.

But if you have any brains you steer clear of both.

10 ( +14 / -4 )

To the poster, I'm sorry I didn't remember your name, but thank you for posting.

You're welcome. Abe (and Trump) sending video messages to the UC conference last year was totally ignored by the Japanese media - I only read about it on an alternative media news site focusing on Trump.

Exposing the extent to which the LDP is influenced by secretive and powerful "religious groups" is clearly not on the agenda of Japan's corporate media.

14 ( +15 / -1 )

It’s not just the LDP connections to the Unification Church that is dangerous and shady. The Unification church has a long standing connection with the Republican Party in the United States due to its image of being staunchly anti-communist.

This is an article based on the investigative reporting done by the LA Times in 1997, but the influence buying continues. There is a decades old relationship between the two groups and the LA Times estimates donations to the GOP are in the hundreds of millions to billions of dollars over those decades. In addition, their purchase the Washington Times (not Post) gives them considerable voice to push their right wing agenda.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-nov-16-op-54375-story.html

13 ( +13 / -0 )

For clarity, Soka Gakkai is affiliated with the Komeito, the LDP's junior partner in their coalition. Touitsu Kyoukai is the Unification Church aka Moonies. Yesterday, someone cited a good source video showing Abe making a speech for the Unification Church. To the poster, I'm sorry I didn't remember your name, but thank you for posting.

18 ( +18 / -0 )

John S. Whitford 07:01 am JST

This "religious group" was the moonies. Why won't any news agency report that? LDP and Sun Myung Moon have been affiliated for decades.

The official motivation behind this will be to prevent hate crimes against the group (social responsibility), but the real reason is that the connections between the LDP and the Unification Church and long and deep, with the possibility of many more LDP bigwigs coming under close scrutiny for their relationships with the UC.

This is known as agenda-cutting and poses a real threat to freedom of speech and democracy in Japan.

14 ( +19 / -5 )

If what this article is stating is true, then the implication is that the religious group (Unification Church or otherwise) has facilities for and condones the test firing of lethal weapons.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

The assailant, Tetsuya Yamagami, said he harbored a grudge against the religious organization after his mother made a "huge donation" to it, according to the sources.

Vast, wealthy influential organizations that are allowed to operate "nameless" and tax free are a clear and present danger to democratic society.

Kishida said the LDP victory was a "triumph for the democratic rule of law" but there is none in Japan as the above situation clearly demonstrates.

8 ( +12 / -4 )

Three days after the assassination of Abe and no media can print the name of the religious group yet. It’s not Soka but the Unification Church.

18 ( +21 / -3 )

after initiallyafter initially planning to target an executive of the group. planning to target an executive of the group.

I do not believe much that story. The guy went to previous Abe meetings. He was deliberately targeting Abe, otherwise he would have found the executive of the group

6 ( +11 / -5 )

Soka Gakai or the Moonies? Which is it?

11 ( +15 / -4 )

It Soka Gakai, most likely; therefore, it is not named openly.

-16 ( +8 / -24 )

This "religious group" was the moonies. Why won't any news agency report that? LDP and Sun Myung Moon have been affiliated for decades.

33 ( +36 / -3 )

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