The assassin who shot former Prime Minister Abe has confessed. The man explains that he originally had another man in his sights and also wanted to do something different. Evidence is found in his apartment.
According to a media report, the assassin of Japanese ex-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe initially planned a bomb attack. As reported by the Kyodo news agency, citing investigative circles, the 41-year-old former marine tried to build a bomb. Tetsuya Yamagami shot and killed Abe with a homemade gun while delivering a campaign speech in the city of Nara on Friday. According to media reports, he said after his arrest that he acted out of hatred for a religious group that supported Abe. His mother donated large sums of money to the religious organization, which ruined the family. Neither the police nor Japan's state-run media have so far wanted to name the group.
However, the online magazine "Gendai Business" claims to have learned from investigative circles that this is the controversial Unification Church of the late Korean sect founder San Myung Mun. Also known as the Mun Sect, the Unification Church has members in many countries, including Japan, and supports conservative political causes.
Politicians like former US President Donald Trump are considered friendly towards her. Abe was also said to have a Mun-friendly attitude. Mun, who was strongly anti-Communist, founded the church in 1954. Thanks to a devoted following, he built a corporate empire that made him a billionaire. He was known for grand performances, which included mass weddings.
According to the media, the confessed assassin denied that he acted out of resentment over Abe's political beliefs. Originally, he wasn't even aiming for the right-wing conservative politician, but for a leader of the religious group. Police found explosives and homemade firearms in the man's apartment. The man testified that he was able to fire six bullets at once with the murder weapon, as the newspaper "Yomiuri Shimbun" reported on Sunday, citing investigative circles.
Despite the attack, elections to the upper house of Japan's national parliament began on Sunday. Even before the brutal assassination, polls indicated a clear victory for Abe's ruling party. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken travels to Japan on Monday. The US State Department said he wanted to personally "express his condolences" to the Japanese at a meeting with government officials in Tokyo. According to Japanese media, a wake is to be held for the former prime minister on Monday evening. His funeral will then take place on Tuesday in the closest circle.
