Arson is definitely a more favored MO when a crazed loner is attacking an institution, but it’s a poor choice when attacking an individual, esp. one that has personal security, etc. And there are reports that the assassin also attempted making bombs, but switched to the improvised gun instead.
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That’s some MacGyver-level fabrication skill. This guy is going to need some supervision in the prison crafting room.
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I’m sure the second-amendmentcists will use this event to say: “See? There’s no way to prevent shootings. Gun laws only affect on gun-law-abiding citizens. So please get rid of those (few) laws, and allow unrestricted purchases of any and all guns.”
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I’m pretty sure that is the case. No way to get modern cartridges there without a mountain of paperwork. But they do have quite a vigorous fireworks industry and it seems likely to me that blackpowder may be fairly available there. Or else he could have bought some fireworks and scraped out enough pretty easily. Or he could have bought potassium nitrate and made his own black powder pretty easily.
It also looks like it was electrically ignited, which in many ways would be easier to build, especially if you don’t have modern primers.
Really sad day for Japan. You can see they have almost no security around such public figures, because there is hardly a need for it there, but now that will probably change at least somewhat.
Yeah, “in cardiac arrest” is an idiomatic way they have of saying, “he’s dead”. Apparently the media there doesn’t say someone is dead until there is an official medical determination of that, so in situations like this, they will describe it as “cardiac arrest” or “heart stopped”.
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common is quite a stretch. in america it’s easy to commit acts of mass violence. the bar is so low that stepping over it is common. it happens about twice a day
arson attacks happen less frequently in the us than gun violence. still, think of all the white terrorists attacking black churches, synagogues, or abortion clinics. not enough to call it common. i think maybe “occasionally” would fit
japan has nearly zero of the first, and a handful of the second. id argue your sentence should read:
That’s actually happened a few times before in Japan. What’s especially unusual is his choice of weapon
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It is now 10:30 in the morning in Japan, and the morning papers have a bit more information about Tetsuya Yamagami.
In high school, he was quiet and studious. He joined his school’s cheerleading squad (this is not the same as what a cheerleading squad means in America) and apparently took this quite seriously, but was otherwise described as plain and not the kind of person who leaves an impression. He apparently spent a lot of time by himself. He had no interest in politics or much of anything. In his yearbook, when asked about his future self, he simply wrote, “Dunno.”
His neighbors do not seem to have had any interactions with him at all.
He joined the Maritime Self Defense Force in 2002 and left in 2005. Significantly, however, he continued to receive yearly weapons training, which included things like how to take apart and reassemble a weapon as well as shooting practice.
His work history since then is a bit spotty. He worked for 1.5 years as a forklift operator in Kyoto until May of this year, when he quit for vague health reasons. His coworkers described him as a loner who would often eat lunch in his car rather than with others.
Based on his statements, it would appear that he had a grudge against a religious organization (which is not being named in the press) and targeted Abe because he believed Abe was involved in that organization. (I do not know what organization he means, so I cannot say for sure, but Abe was indeed involved with some out-there religious organizations.) Yamagami claims that the reason for the grudge against the religious organization is that his mother became a fervent believer and donated a lot of money to this organization, which brought his family to the brink of ruination.
This is what we know right now, though the statements of Mr. Yamagami himself should be taken with a grain of salt.
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I am seeing reports that the hospital that treated Abe is getting a lot of nasty phone calls. I think that the hospital really had to show that they did everything that they possibly could, which in this case meant pumping blood into him even though his heart wasn’t beating.
I can’t really fault the hospital here. They really clearly never expected to be involved in anything like this.
ETA: The hospital has released a statement saying that they are not, in fact, receiving a bunch of nasty phone calls in spite of the claims going around on social media.
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Is this accurate?
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I really do not like that comparison. Yes, Abe was right wing, especially in terms of foreign policy and remilitarization. He was known for his gaffes. A lot of his economics were a watered down version of “trickle down.” His views on the historical realities of Japan’s 50 years of imperialism were appalling.
But he was also a career politician who spent the last 30 years of his life in parliament, holding many cabinet positions before becoming PM, losing the premiership and then regaining it in a political comeback. He also came from a political dynasty; both his grandfather and father were in parliament, with his father serving in the cabinet. He had clearly defined policy aims and strategies that he implemented in a very calculated manner.
He did not engage in petty bickering or asshole behavior just to “own” his political adversaries. Although he raised the consumption tax while cutting corporate taxes, he also expanded the social safety net, especially through efforts to support people having children (all to combat the declining birth rate, but still). Although the results were mixed, he did try to empower women in the workplace and in politics.
He was an authoritarian. He was far right. He was ultranationalist. But he was not the impulsive bull in the pottery shop that was Trump. He tried to make Japan great again, but he actually had a plan for doing it. I didn’t agree with his plan, but I think that it is a disservice to lump him in with Trump. Japanese politics are not so cut and dry.
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The wake for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be held on the night of the 11th, and the funeral will be held on the 12th. His body arrived at his home in central Tokyo this afternoon.
Prime Minister Kishida is back on the campaign trail, stumping for a candidate in Yamanashi Prefecture. The security is much tighter than usual, and people wishing to approach the PM are now being scanned with handheld metal detectors. Political campaigning was restarted today by all political parties, under the notion that Japanese democracy will not bow to terror and the idea that Shinzo Abe himself would have wanted the campaign to go on.
Today, there are long lines of people at Yamato Saidaiji Station. They have come to lay flowers at the site of the shooting.
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On hikikomori.
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Today, the autopsy results were released. Evidently, the fatal wound was a bullet (or possibly a bullet fragment) that severely damaged an artery under Shinzo Abe’s clavicle, leading to blood loss resulting in death. Based on analysis of video taken from the scene, it appears that Abe turned around after being shot the first time and then was shot a second time, at which point he collapsed. This suggests that the fatal shot was the second shot.
According to Yamagami’s statements to the police, the gun consisted of three cylinders, each packed with six projectiles, so the gun functioned much like a makeshift shotgun. A campaign vehicle that was parked 10m from where Abe was standing was also later discovered to be riddled with bullet holes.
Nara Prefectural Police have come under withering criticism for their lax security, which not only allowed somebody to approach Abe from behind and pull out a big gun, but also allowed the shooter to get off a second shot, now believed to be the fatal shot. Tomoaki Onizuka, the head of the Nara Prefectural Police, who is facing calls for his resignation, gave a press conference today in which he did not deny problems with the security detail and vowed to thoroughly investigate and take measures.
On a side note, it is also being reported that Tetsuya Yamagami was at another campaign speech by Abe the day before the shooting, suggesting that he was stalking Abe and waiting for an opportunity to take a shot. Yamagami has given conflicting statements, saying that he intended to shoot the leader of the still unnamed religious organization, but decided to shoot Abe when the leader did not show up. This new detail strongly suggests that it was always his intention to shoot and kill Abe.
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So, we’re still kind of unclear on the guy’s motives? Other than some nebulous connection to a religious group?
This is really fucked up.
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Thank you for relaying all this information regarding the assassination.
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A bit more information is trickling out about the assassin, Tetsuya Yamagami.
He came from a good and affluent family. His grandfather ran a construction business. He got good grades in junior high school (where he also played basketball) before going to an elite high school (in Japan, you have to pass an entrance exam to go to high school, and the better schools have much harder tests). In high school, he was always at the top of his class. His classmates say that he would spend his lunch breaks with his head buried in thick books.
His family’s fortunes changed when his father died young, followed shortly by his grandfather, who had supported the family. As a result of these family tragedies, Yamagami’s mother took an interest in religion.
Tetsuya Yamagami continued to live with his mother and two younger sisters (in more modest housing than before) until March of this year, when he began living alone in a tiny apartment in the City of Nara. A family friend has suggested that this move had something to do with his mother’s religion, which Yamagami claims bankrupted his family. My own speculation: after living with his mother and sisters for his entire life, being pushed out of the family home may have been the final straw that sent him down this path.
As a forklift operator, he would quarrel with his coworkers. He repeatedly refused to follow operating procedures and, when he was scolded for this, he would snap back with, “Why do I have to do things this way? There are other ways of doing this that work just fine.” and even, “Why don’t you guys do it then?!” He began missing work due to “health issues” in April before resigning in May.
Here is a picture of Tetsuya Yamagami being taken to the prosecutor’s office, where he was formally charged with murder.
Here is a diagram explaining how his handmade gun worked. (This also conflicts with his statement, in which he said that it had three barrels. Five such guns were seized from his home, and at least one of them did have three barrels, so it is possible that he is confused about which one he used.) As you can see, the six projectiles were enclosed in a capsule of some kind.
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I think that this article does a better job of describing what Abe was like.
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I don’t believe Japan recognizes insanity pleas.
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Japanese law defines three mental states affecting one’s responsibility under criminal law. It is not actually a formal plea by the defendant, but something that can be argued by the defense and determined by the court if necessary.
- No Capacity for Responsibility for Actions = Innocent
- Diminished Capacity for Responsibility for Actions = Guilty with Reduced Punishment
- Full Capacity for Responsibility for Actions = Guilty
https://www.ncnp.go.jp/nimh/chiiki/shihou/info_keiji_kantei.html
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Ah. I stand corrected then . But this was the assassin of the former longest serving prime minister. This guy’s going to go away, get forgotten, and one day 5 years from now it’ll be announced he had been hanged two days prior.
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In any case, he planned this for months while meticulously hand making guns. It may seem like the work of a madman, but it is rational enough that the court will almost certainly find him competent to stand trial. It will be a very interesting trial.
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