national

Abe's fatal shooting continues to ripple through Japan a month on

31 Comments

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© KYODO

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

31 Comments
Login to comment

and there just happen to be press photographers there to take photos of those paying their respects? including the photo above. despicable stuff.

-7 ( +15 / -22 )

"I feel responsible for letting it happen in the city of which I am the mayor," Nakagawa told Kyodo News. "What could I have done to prevent it? I think about it every day."

……

I wish the mayor,all the best in attempting to discern the answer to that question.

-5 ( +9 / -14 )

Actually surprised how many people dont care. Media making way more of this than anyone else

15 ( +32 / -17 )

You can see this must be the first and only people to put something down because there’s nothing else in the photo that say anybody else was doing this. Just looks like a photo op. Come to think of it, how could all the photog know this was going to happen at that time, and yet there isn’t any other offerings in the photo.

just an observation on the photo.

-1 ( +19 / -20 )

“while a man in his 50s praised the former prime minister as a man who changed Japan.”

He sure did.

Nearly everyone became much poorer and he took cronyism to a new level.

Remember his appointing one of his buddies to be NHK chief?

28 ( +38 / -10 )

Sure, anytime a life is taken in such a horrific manner people generally struggle to comprehend. Mr. Abe regardless of his views should have never been gunned down, it is sad for future generations to see that a Gun could be option for their problems in life.

7 ( +16 / -9 )

The assassination of one of the most powerful politicians in Japan has sent shock waves across the country,

Really? Of course people were shocked that someone as well known as Abe was shot and killed but people have long moved on.

13 ( +18 / -5 )

Using Abe's death to talk about other people's crimes that are not even related is complete pathetic drama nonsense and shouldn't be in the same article.

I wasn't particularly fond of Abe but his death shouldn't be turned into a circus act.

16 ( +22 / -6 )

""Several of the church's "evangelism manuals" from the 1980s and 1990s obtained by Kyodo News show that it taught followers to conceal the name and doctrine of the religious group when recruiting members.

The Unification Church has denied any involvement in creating the manuals, claiming that they were written by individual members of their own volition, and that it is not aware of their contents or usage.""

Stay Tuned as more and more will be learned about the devious tactics of this and most CULTS, hiding doctrines is the norm, not revealing the true intention is the norm, and that's why this UC should be legally liable in the courts of law.

11 ( +15 / -4 )

A last-minute change in a police officer’s location and the man’s failure to notify a superior the spot was now unguarded are believed to be the main factors that left former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vulnerable to an attack from his back.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

The slaying of the former PM and the reactions of the Japanese, who process grief and shock in their own way. Inwardly, quietly , emotions kept in check out of respect for those around them, ceremoniously. A man after all had been shot down, in the back and killed.

What was more telling unfortunately was how many in our beloved expat community chose to react. How quickly the scorn and judgement was unleashed. Like within hours, people were writing hit pieces after the hit. Lovely stuff, very dignified and culturally sensitive. Completely inappropriate in my books and told more of a story about why many foreigners will never be heard here, and for good reason. Was quite sad to see actually, couldn’t believe some of the tones on display, the first tragedy was enough.

-9 ( +7 / -16 )

The fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe continues to ripple through Japan a month on,

No it doesn't. The media has a nice little barrow to push, everyone else has moved on.

11 ( +15 / -4 )

I don't think that most people have simply moved on. This was one of the most shocking events to occur in Japan in recent years. The story that won't go away is the cult that was protected by the LDP. Sure, Abe wasn't a member, but he enabled them, and they are anything but a source of "World Peace and Unification".

13 ( +16 / -3 )

Former prime minister and member of parliament was shot dead at close range in broad daylight while he was giving a stump speech. And his body was creamted three days after the assassination. This is very unusual.

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

This news is old news. Why are we still re-hashing Abe?

6 ( +14 / -8 )

obladi 09:06 am JST

I don't think that most people have simply moved on.

As much as the LDP and their lackeys in the corporate media would like to sweep 50 years of massive political corruption involving the highest levels of governments in Japan, the US, Republic of Korea and North Korea under the carpet, it just isn't going away:

"Moon’s primary Japanese backer — “Japan’s archangel,” in his own words — was philanthropist Ryoichi Sasakawa (1899-1995). Sasakawa was a pre-war fascist leader, proud Class-A war-crimes suspect, and billionaire magnate, who cut his teeth alongside Kodama as a war-profiteer in the Japanese campaigns of aggression during World War II before becoming a gambling tycoon after the war. In his advanced years, he resorted to shameless Moon-like self-promotion, funding a number of NGO initiatives in his own name and attempting to bribe his way to a Nobel Peace Prize as a way to recast his legacy as one of humanitarianism. This was accompanied by an outlandish multimillion-dollar series of TV commercials depicting him as a sweet old man, and literature such as the 1981 biography Sasakawa: The Warrior for Peace, the Global Philanthropist.

An Imperial-era Mussolini-admirer who flew the first entirely Japanese-made airplane to Rome to meet Il Duce, Sasakawa took pride in his close friendships with the dictators Syngman Rhee of South Korea, Anastasio Somoza of Nicaragua, and the Philippines’ Ferdinand Marcos. The philanthropist was also a World Anti-Communist League founding member who bragged to Time magazine, “I am the world’s richest fascist.” From around 1960 onwards, the Japanese blackshirt Sasakawa was a top advisor and principal funder of the Moon organization’s religious-commercial empire."

https://www.mintpressnews.com/neo-moonies-the-bizarre-story-behind-the-ar-15-church-ceremony/238432/

4 ( +15 / -11 )

That's a staged photo judging by the two (possibly three) photographers on the other side of the three 'mourners' and the lack of other 'tributes.'

The 'rippling' is through the media such as JapanToday, NHK, and other conservative news agencies.

9 ( +16 / -7 )

Blue@ Nice input and cheers for the comments. You are correct to say I don't know much about the horrid underworld of the J hard right and left-wing keyboard warriors and the Japanese language internet, yikes, you'd be a brave man to try and document them, never mind take any of it seriously. Get my fix here on the milder and better-mannered Japan Today English version.

Have a few J mates that have fallen into some pretty average mindsets on both sides of the political spectrum, you know constantly angry all the time, single, not much else to do, do lots of 'research", easily swayed... I'm sure you get the picture. Get to talk to them occasionally for a bit of a touchstone and it's actually quite fascinating. Not bad people either, well-meaning in their own way, just a bit tainted. You can tell by the way they dress which side of the fence they swing, there's a certain look. Remember being 20 years old and just starting to get your head around the geo-political world, getting a glimpse of an unfair and unjust world, looking for a boogeyman to blame? It's sort of like that. They're just not politically savvy or literate enough to process two sides of a coin, nor have taken the time to try and understand a nuanced and complex world, but part of me thinks, 'Hey , at least they are taking an interest! Most people just couldn't give a toss!"

It's either zero interest or way too much, unfortunately, if anything we wanna find that 'goldilocks zone' with them. Like in most countries the keyboard trolls and over-emotionally charged people you talk about are a very loud but annoying minority, (the flame-throwing comment toka , lunatics basically and if you find a cure for that let us all know! ) one that we may have a tendency to give more credence to, even though they don't represent the opinions of your average Jo Tanaka whatsoever. Focussing on the extreme elements of any society never a great strategy to understand the whole.

Few weeks back they were talking about the Moonies, (everyone up-in-arms about Japans weird cult- politics links) on Japan Political Insight and Timothy Langley, the legend that he is, made a really good point. It's a worthy question or line of discussion but he postulated that perhaps it's being a bit overplayed. As much as we want answers, and it may be that some even secretly crave for these cult links to mean more than what they really do, it's good to take a step back and look at politics in general, you know getting votes n stuff, especially in Japan where voter turnout is so meek.

The argument was very simple; If a lacross team association with 10 thousand members were to approach ANY political party, offering a block-like support to their candidacy, most politicians will just jump at the opportunity. It's the way politics works. Sometimes unwillingly they get into bed with some pretty shady groups, organized crime, unions, religious groups, special interest, NHK ! I don't think this is anything special about Japan. Wooing any group that votes in blocks around election time is just a no-brainer, BUT It doesn't mean that these groups are actually involved in the decision-making process of the party, nor hold half the sway, even a 10th of what some are claiming. Perhaps the whole Moony thing is a bit overblown? People trying to draw nefarious lines and connections to spin a narrative. Wouldnt be the first time. As for the race to Abe's coffers, along with the political jostling occuring to fill the massive power gap that was the Abe camp, well are you really surprised by that too? Are they inherently dangerous and evil for it? Once again I think not. If anyone that wants to see Japans constitution changed is just a bad person though, then I guess there's not much left to talk about, and we fall into the same old divisions you see playing out everywhere on the planet right now.

All interesting topics worth discussing at length! Sorry for another long-winded one! Didn't mean to babble!

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

Ricky Kaminsky13...

What was more telling unfortunately was how many in our beloved expat community chose to react. How quickly the scorn and judgement was unleashed. Like within hours, people were writing hit pieces after the hit. Lovely stuff, very dignified and culturally sensitive. Completely inappropriate in my books and told more of a story about why many foreigners will never be heard here, and for good reason. Was quite sad to see actually, couldn’t believe some of the tones on display, the first tragedy was enough.

Some of us were posting our dislike of Abe and his policies long before the homemade bullet ended his life. For us to then post otherwise would be the height of hypocrisy. Sorry, but I'm not going to pretend that I am sad he has gone and make him out to be the greatest leader in world history. I'm not and he wasn't. As for cultural sensitivity, the vast majority of Japanese I have spoken to share my thoughts.

3 ( +9 / -6 )

Mr Kip@ Hey man, we were all raised differently. Knock yourself out! No one here OWNS Japanese public opinion, and we all walk in fairly limited circles I presume, associating with different mixes of people from the social strata. Lucky enough to have my feet in a few different worlds here and I'm sure you do too. Draw from things what ye will! If it was appropriate behavior to dis a murdered man, then you run with that. Aint gunna stop no one from being them!

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

Staged photo!

5 ( +12 / -7 )

Unifcation Church and LDP continue to mobilize believers as general public to show as if killed former PM was greatest politician despite worst liar.

Right-wing TV commentators repeat sophistries everyday desperately to make this politics-cult issue look small.

4 ( +9 / -5 )

Tetsuya Yamagami, the suspect of Shinzo Abe's assassination, had a deep grudge against the religious group called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification Church-turned, known widely as the Unification Church, for the exorbitant contributions his mother made to the cult group, causing the family's bankruptcy and disintegration.

Yamagami is said to have contemplated to initially kill the head of that religious group, but changed his mind to kill Abe instead, for he believed Abe had been closely associated with the religious organization. Yamagami also reportedly said he had watched a video message Abe had sent to the cult-related group's convention, expressing his solidarity with them.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

Some truly disrespectful comments here. People have been laying flowers frequently where PM Abe was shot and especially yesterday as it has been a month since this tragedy.

-3 ( +6 / -9 )

If you care send a card.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Most people I've talked to aren't still talking about this. But yet again, most people I know didn't like him anyway.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

The LDP was/is hoping that this will all blow over soon and they can get back to business as usual with their buddies in the moonies!

Sadly, they are most likely right as once it stops being shown in the media he populace will forget all about the moonies and their close ties with japans politicians!

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

tamanegiToday  03:38 pm JST

Some truly disrespectful comments here. 

They just reflect how people felt about Abe when he was alive, and what they think about his connection with the Unificatiom chrch.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

@Michael Machida Because it is news and people are still commenting on it!

This news is old news. Why are we still re-hashing Abe

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites