<p><em><strong>By Gearoid Reidy</strong></em></p>.<p>News that former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot on the campaign trail for Sunday’s upper house elections has brought the country to a standstill. <br />As I write, the details are unclear. These appear to be the outlines: A lone gunman attacked Abe, whose condition has been described as “grave.” However the circumstances unfold, this is a tragedy that will have repercussions far beyond this weekend’s voting. </p>.<p>It’s hard to think of a more unexpected place for this to happen: Japan prides itself on being a safe society. The impact of sarin gas attacks on the Tokyo subway by the Aum Shinrikyo cult, nearly 30 years on, still reverberate precisely because such incidents are so rare — shootings in particular. The unsolved 2013 killing of Takayuki Ohigashi, the head of a famous restaurant chain shot outside his company headquarters, still linger in the memory. Political assassinations are even more extraordinary: The yakuza-related fatal shooting of the mayor of Nagasaki in 2007 might be the only recent corollary. </p>.<p><strong>Also Read — <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/former-japan-pm-shinzo-abe-shot-feared-dead-1124789.html" target="_blank">Former Japan PM Shinzo Abe shot, feared dead</a></strong></p>.<p>Random attacks of violence do occur. Recent years have seen an uptick in such events, such as the mass murder of 26 in Osaka last December, where the suspect set a mental health clinic on fire, killing himself in the process; or the knife attacks on Tokyo’s subways last Halloween, which mercifully resulted in no fatalities. </p>.<p>While some guns are available in Japan for the likes of hunters, any purchase requires stringent checks. Photos apparently from the scene show an unusual, almost handmade-looking firearm. Last year, a man killed himself in Ibaraki with a gun believed to have been made with a 3D printer. But because of Japan’s safety record, security at political rallies is weak. It’s not at all unusual to see former prime ministers or other big-wigs campaigning at a street corner or in front of a train station, without a visible detail. </p>.<p>Abe, though, should be different. While outsiders might think of him as a former politician, he maintains immense influence at home. He leads the largest faction in the Liberal Democratic Party, and at just 67, is still in his prime (for a Japanese lawmaker). Many speculated he could take another run at the premiership. Even if he didn’t, Abe was certainly in place to help decide the next prime minister. </p>.<p>At the time of writing, we know little of the suspect and nothing of his motivations. Abe has attracted violent protest in the past, including a 2014 self-immolation against security legislation Abe spear-headed. But this kind of senseless attack on a national figure seems utterly without precedent in the country’s modern history. </p>.<p>But one thing seems certain: July 8 is a day that will scar Japan forever. </p>
<p><em><strong>By Gearoid Reidy</strong></em></p>.<p>News that former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot on the campaign trail for Sunday’s upper house elections has brought the country to a standstill. <br />As I write, the details are unclear. These appear to be the outlines: A lone gunman attacked Abe, whose condition has been described as “grave.” However the circumstances unfold, this is a tragedy that will have repercussions far beyond this weekend’s voting. </p>.<p>It’s hard to think of a more unexpected place for this to happen: Japan prides itself on being a safe society. The impact of sarin gas attacks on the Tokyo subway by the Aum Shinrikyo cult, nearly 30 years on, still reverberate precisely because such incidents are so rare — shootings in particular. The unsolved 2013 killing of Takayuki Ohigashi, the head of a famous restaurant chain shot outside his company headquarters, still linger in the memory. Political assassinations are even more extraordinary: The yakuza-related fatal shooting of the mayor of Nagasaki in 2007 might be the only recent corollary. </p>.<p><strong>Also Read — <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/former-japan-pm-shinzo-abe-shot-feared-dead-1124789.html" target="_blank">Former Japan PM Shinzo Abe shot, feared dead</a></strong></p>.<p>Random attacks of violence do occur. Recent years have seen an uptick in such events, such as the mass murder of 26 in Osaka last December, where the suspect set a mental health clinic on fire, killing himself in the process; or the knife attacks on Tokyo’s subways last Halloween, which mercifully resulted in no fatalities. </p>.<p>While some guns are available in Japan for the likes of hunters, any purchase requires stringent checks. Photos apparently from the scene show an unusual, almost handmade-looking firearm. Last year, a man killed himself in Ibaraki with a gun believed to have been made with a 3D printer. But because of Japan’s safety record, security at political rallies is weak. It’s not at all unusual to see former prime ministers or other big-wigs campaigning at a street corner or in front of a train station, without a visible detail. </p>.<p>Abe, though, should be different. While outsiders might think of him as a former politician, he maintains immense influence at home. He leads the largest faction in the Liberal Democratic Party, and at just 67, is still in his prime (for a Japanese lawmaker). Many speculated he could take another run at the premiership. Even if he didn’t, Abe was certainly in place to help decide the next prime minister. </p>.<p>At the time of writing, we know little of the suspect and nothing of his motivations. Abe has attracted violent protest in the past, including a 2014 self-immolation against security legislation Abe spear-headed. But this kind of senseless attack on a national figure seems utterly without precedent in the country’s modern history. </p>.<p>But one thing seems certain: July 8 is a day that will scar Japan forever. </p>