NARA: A day after the assassination of the former prime minister Shinzo AbeA steady stream of mourners, many shedding tears, arrived at the scene of his murder in the Western Japan To offer flowers and worship.
People from all walks of life formed a long line on Saturday on a general street outside a train station where Abe was shot while campaigning ahead of weekend elections.
Afternoon rain didn’t stop the crowds coming to mourn, some walked long distances like the 51-year-old Yoshikazu TokudomeWho flew hundreds of kilometers from the Tokyo area to the city of Nara.
“I’m just in pain, and I thought at least I could come here and lay out some flowers,” the company employee told AFP.
When he heard of the death of Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, “I could understand what was being said in the news, but I couldn’t accept it.”
Visitors like Tokudome bowed deeply with their eyes closed, some weeping as they lay flowers on a table in a tent set up near Yamato-Saidaiji Station.
Friday’s events unfolded quickly, with Abe confidently speaking into a microphone before he was shot and the suspect immediately fell to the ground.
“It’s just shocking and I’m so sad. I was at home feeling really restless,” said sumiko hayashi50.
“I really liked him as a person as well,” she said, especially “the way he looked so happy with his wife.”
After bouquet after bouquet was placed on the table, it became a makeshift altar, adorned with framed photographs and cartoon illustrations of a smiling Abe, who was forced to resign from office in 2020 due to ill health .
Cans of beer and other drinks were also placed on the table for the politician to enjoy in the afterlife, but the overriding mood was gloom.
Wiping down tears, 52-year-old Kayoko Ueda, from the neighboring region of Osaka, told AFP she was “upset” and “couldn’t believe something like this could actually happen in Japan”.
Violent crime is extremely rare in the country, which also has some of the strictest gun laws in the world.
The accused has been identified as 41-year-old Tetsuya YamagamiThe footage shows Abe approaching from behind and then opening fire with a hand-held gun.
The killing has sparked an investigation into whether security measures over the stump speech were sufficient, and some mourners told AFP that more could have been done.
Ueda said, “Security was loose. I think it exposed how Japan was content to think that everything is safe here.”
Akira Takahashi, a 54-year-old Osaka resident, agreed.
“High-ranking officials from abroad, such as the prime minister and cabinet members, often visit Japan under the impression that it is a safe country,” he said.
“But I think the security needs to be strengthened more in the future.”
With tears in his eyes, Takahashi, who always thought highly of Abe, said that as he laid out the flowers, “I told him ‘Thank you for everything, and please rest in peace.'”
People from all walks of life formed a long line on Saturday on a general street outside a train station where Abe was shot while campaigning ahead of weekend elections.
Afternoon rain didn’t stop the crowds coming to mourn, some walked long distances like the 51-year-old Yoshikazu TokudomeWho flew hundreds of kilometers from the Tokyo area to the city of Nara.
“I’m just in pain, and I thought at least I could come here and lay out some flowers,” the company employee told AFP.
When he heard of the death of Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, “I could understand what was being said in the news, but I couldn’t accept it.”
Visitors like Tokudome bowed deeply with their eyes closed, some weeping as they lay flowers on a table in a tent set up near Yamato-Saidaiji Station.
Friday’s events unfolded quickly, with Abe confidently speaking into a microphone before he was shot and the suspect immediately fell to the ground.
“It’s just shocking and I’m so sad. I was at home feeling really restless,” said sumiko hayashi50.
“I really liked him as a person as well,” she said, especially “the way he looked so happy with his wife.”
After bouquet after bouquet was placed on the table, it became a makeshift altar, adorned with framed photographs and cartoon illustrations of a smiling Abe, who was forced to resign from office in 2020 due to ill health .
Cans of beer and other drinks were also placed on the table for the politician to enjoy in the afterlife, but the overriding mood was gloom.
Wiping down tears, 52-year-old Kayoko Ueda, from the neighboring region of Osaka, told AFP she was “upset” and “couldn’t believe something like this could actually happen in Japan”.
Violent crime is extremely rare in the country, which also has some of the strictest gun laws in the world.
The accused has been identified as 41-year-old Tetsuya YamagamiThe footage shows Abe approaching from behind and then opening fire with a hand-held gun.
The killing has sparked an investigation into whether security measures over the stump speech were sufficient, and some mourners told AFP that more could have been done.
Ueda said, “Security was loose. I think it exposed how Japan was content to think that everything is safe here.”
Akira Takahashi, a 54-year-old Osaka resident, agreed.
“High-ranking officials from abroad, such as the prime minister and cabinet members, often visit Japan under the impression that it is a safe country,” he said.
“But I think the security needs to be strengthened more in the future.”
With tears in his eyes, Takahashi, who always thought highly of Abe, said that as he laid out the flowers, “I told him ‘Thank you for everything, and please rest in peace.'”