Shinzo Abe Shot

[Jacob]

... while campaigning in Nara. Some say he is dead.

[Jacob]

Looks like it's confirmed that he's dead. The shooter has been detained.

[Valmy]

Wow that's insane.

I am not sure what else to say.

[Syt]

Nit exactly a fan of the guy, but damn. And incredibly unusual for Japan.

[Jacob]

Nit exactly a fan of the guy, but damn. And incredibly unusual for Japan.

I was just telling someone that my opinion of the guy has shifted a bit in the last little while. An assertive Japan building up military capability seems a pretty good idea if it's going to be mostly pointed at China, IMO.

[DGuller]

Apparently he's not dead, he's just unresponsive and in cardiac arrest.   

[Maladict]

He's dead now.

[The Larch]

The shooter was aprehended on the spot, and apparently didn't even try to run away. It's a 41 y.o. Japanese national and armed forces veteran, and he shot Abe in the back twice with a home made shotgun. Nothing is known yet about his possible motivations.

[Josquius]

Very shocking. Japanese politics these days rarely leads to any emotions.

[Sheilbh]

Really shocking.

I've no opinion or knowledge about Abe. But it's horrible for a country to have violence like this in democratic politics like this (thinking of the Jo Cox murder). Awful

[Josquius]

So, what theory are we working with?
Given the gun and military background I'm leaning towards either just a lunatic or ultra nationalist upset Abe didn't restore the empire as the 2chan crowd said he would.
Though of course at this stage equally likely he's a leftist patriot who in a fit of supreme irony kills Abe for disturbing the pacifist constitution.


Given Abe giving this speech was announced just the day before it seems we might have been lucky he's the only one shot. The guy might have been planning something bigger and had explosives at home.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-62089486

[Legbiter]

Highly unusual. First political assassination in Japan since the 60's when Inejiro Asanuma was stabbed with a sword.

[Duque de Bragança]

Highly surprising, in a very bad way indeed.

[Legbiter]

The gunman shot him from behind with a homemade shotgun at very close range. Shooter is a 41 year old former naval officer. Man, Abe was comfortably elected PM three times and the only reason he was not in power was because of his health problems. I can't even name the current PM of Japan to save my own life.

[Admiral Yi]

Odd to see everyone masked.