Hear former Shinzo Abe adviser's reaction to assassination
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The body of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived at his family home in Tokyo on Saturday, a day after he was assassinated in a shooting that shocked Japan. His funeral, including a wake and a memorial service, will be held over Monday and Tuesday, his office told CNN.
Police said a 41-year-old unemployed man admitted to shooting Abe. The suspect used a homemade gun in the shooting, and authorities confiscated several handmade pistol-like items from his apartment, police said.
Tomoaki Onizuka, police chief in the city where Abe was fatally shot, said he “can’t deny there were problems” with the former prime minister’s security and that he “take[s] responsibility” for the failure that resulted in his killing.
Our live coverage has ended for the day. Follow the latest updates on Abe’s death here.
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US and Japanese defense ministers discuss legacy of Abe and deepening US-Japan alliance
From CNN's Hande Atay Alam
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called Japanese Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo on Saturday to express his condolences for the death of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, according to statements by the US Department of Defense and Japanese Ministry of Defense.
The two leaders discussed former Abe’s “bold and visionary leadership, which took the U.S.-Japan Alliance relationship to new heights and left a legacy of a more secure, stable, and prosperous region,” a statement from the US Department of Defense said.
In a tweet, Japan’s defense ministry said Kishi “strongly condemned the despicable act that took place, and expressed his determination to further strengthen the Japan-U.S. Alliance, carrying on the legacy of former Prime Minister Abe.”
The two leaders “confirmed a shared dedication to realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific, a vision that Prime Minister Abe championed,” the US statement added.
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Funeral arrangements have been set for Abe. Here's everything we know about his assassination.
A car carrying the body of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrives at his home in Tokyo on Saturday, July 9.
(Shiho Fukada for CNN)
The body of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in Tokyo on Saturday after he was assassinated in the city of Nara. As Japan reels from the shocking shooting, here’s what we know so far.
Funeral arrangements for Abe: The funeral for Abe will be held over Monday and Tuesday, his office told CNN, with a wake will be held on Monday, followed by a memorial service on Tuesday. The funeral will be hosted by his widow Akie Abe in a temple in Tokyo, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported.
Police will review security: Japan’s National Police Agency said it will review security arrangements put in place before Friday’s shooting, according to NHK. Security was being handled by Nara prefectural police, which drew up a security plan for the former prime minister while he was in the city.
Nara Prefectural Police Chief Tomoaki Onizuka said he “can’t deny there were problems” with Abe’s security. In a press conference on Saturday, he said that authorities are looking into what went wrong in the lead-up to the former prime minister being shot. He added that he “take[s] responsibility” for the security failure that resulted in Abe’s killing.
Suspect used homemade gun: The suspect in Abe’s assassination said the weapon he used was homemade, Nara Nishi police told a news conference on Friday. Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, admitted to shooting Abe, police said. Yamagami, who is unemployed, told investigators he holds hatred toward a certain group that he thought Abe was linked to. Police have not named the group.
Yamagami made multiple types of guns with iron pipes that were wrapped in adhesive tape, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported, citing the police. The police found guns with three, five and six iron pipes as barrels. The suspect inserted bullets into the pipe of his homemade gun, parts for which he’d purchased online, NHK reported, citing police. Police believe the suspect used the strongest weapon he made in the assassination, NHK added.
Elections to take place Sunday: Japanese voters will go to the polls on Sunday despite the assassination of Abe just two days before elections were due to be held. At the time of the shooting, Abe was speaking in support of ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidates ahead of the election.
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Pope Francis sends condolences to Japan and Abe’s family
From CNN's Hande Atay Alam and Hillary Whiteman
Pope Francis said he was deeply saddened over the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and offered his condolences to Abe’s family and friends, as well as the people of Japan.
“I was deeply saddened to learn of the assassination of Mr. Shinzo Abe, former Prime Minister of Japan. I offer my heartfelt condolences to his family, friends & the people of Japan. I pray Japanese society will be strengthened in its historic commitment to peace and nonviolence,” according to a tweet from the Pope’s official account on Saturday.
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"I take responsibility" for the assassination of Shinzo Abe, Nara police chief says
From CNN’s Mayumi Maruyama
The police chief of the prefecture where Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated said he “take[s] responsibility” for the security failure that resulted in his killing.
Nara Prefectural Police Chief Tomoaki Onizuka told a news conference Saturday that Abe’s security personnel followed Onizuka’s approved plan.
“After the first report of the incident came at 11:30 a.m., and the situation was revealed, it was the height of the guilt and regret I’ve felt in my 27 years in law enforcement,” he said.
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Hong Kong chief executive expresses "profound sadness" at Shinzo Abe's death
From CNN’s Wayne Chang in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee expresses "profound sadness" at Shinzo Abe's death on Saturday.
(Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee has expressed “profound sadness” and “deepest sympathies” Saturday at the passing of Japan’s former Prime Minster Shinzo Abe, according to a government statement.
“On behalf of the people and Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, I express our sympathies to Mr Abe’s family on the passing of Mr Abe,” Lee said.
“May he rest in peace,” Lee added.
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"Can't deny there were problems" with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's security, says Nara police chief
From CNN's Mayumi Maruyama
People offer flowers and prayers near a site where former prime minister Shinzo Abe was shot.
(Naoya Azuma/AP)
A police chief in the city where former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot said he “can’t deny there were problems” with Abe’s security.
Tomoaki Onizuka, Nara Prefectural Police Chief, said in a press conference on Saturday that authorities are looking into what went wrong in the lead-up to Abe being shot.
That a former prime minster could be shot dead at close range while giving a speech in broad daylight in a country with one of the world’s lowest rates of gun crime has shaken Japan and reverberated around the world.
Abe, 67, was pronounced dead at at 5:03 p.m. local time on Friday, just over five hours after being shot while delivering a campaign speech in front of a small crowd on a street.
At the time of the shooting, Abe was speaking in support of ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidates ahead of Upper House elections on Sunday, which are still scheduled to go ahead.
Despite resigning as Japan’s prime minister in 2020 due to health reasons, Abe remained an influential figure in the country’s political landscape and continued to campaign for the LDP.
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Supporter shares interaction with Shinzo Abe before his death
A supporter of the former Japanese prime minister has shared footage of a close interaction with Shinzo Abe before his death.
A video circulated on Twitter, originally posted on TikTok, shows footage of Abe greeting his supporters in public one day before he was fatally shot.
The video shows a supporter using their hands to create a heart. They captioned the TikTok “Yesterday, he (Abe) made a heart for me… today, he was shot… please take care.”
(From Tiktok)
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Shinzo Abe’s funeral to be held over Monday and Tuesday
From CNN’s Mayumi Maruyama and Chie Kobayashi
Akie Abe, wife of Shinzo Abe, is seen in the car carrying former Prime Minister Abe’s body and arrives at their home in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday.
(Shiho Fukada for CNN)
The funeral for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be held over Monday and Tuesday, Abe’s office told CNN. A wake will be held on Monday, followed by a memorial service on Tuesday, Abe’s office said.
The funeral will be hosted by his widow Akie Abe in a temple in Tokyo, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported.
The attendance will be limited to family members and people close to Abe, NHK added.
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Sydney's Opera House will light up in honor of Shinzo Abe
From CNN's Paul Devitt in Sydney
The sails of Sydney’s iconic Opera House will shine on Saturday in honor of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe following his assassination.
The Australian city of Melbourne will also be “lit up” on Saturday night to honor Abe’s life, Dan Andrews, premier of the state of Victoria, wrote on Twitter Saturday.
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Shinzo Abe was shot while on the campaign trail. Those elections will still go ahead on Sunday
Japanese voters will go to the polls on Sunday despite the assassination of former leader Shinzo Abe just two days before elections were due to be held.
Abe was gunned down in broad daylight while delivering a campaign speech in the city of Nara on Friday before he was later pronounced dead in the hospital. His death has shocked and angered Japan, a nation unaccustomed to gun violence.
What are the elections for? The electorate will be voting for lawmakers to sit in the upper house of the Diet — Japan’s parliament. There are 125 seats up for grabs, according to public broadcaster NHK. The upper house is the less powerful of the two chambers of parliament. Members of the upper house approve legislation, but it can be overridden by the lower house. Members of the 245-seat upper house serve a six-year term, with an election for roughly half the seats every three years.
What was Abe doing in Nara? At the time of the shooting, Abe was speaking in support of ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidates ahead of the election. Despite resigning as Japan’s prime minister in 2020 due to health reasons, Abe remained an influential figure in the country’s political landscape and continued to campaign for the LDP.
What has Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said? Kishida said he will continue campaigning on Saturday for the elections, adding that a free and fair vote must be defended at all costs. Speaking on Friday, he paid his “deepest condolences” to Abe, saying he “was a personal friend, with whom I spent a lot of time.”
How is Japan preparing for the elections? Cities across the country of 125 million were gearing up for the vote on Saturday, NHK reported. Video broadcast on NHK showed campaign workers setting up polling stations and organizing venues. There will be 46,000 polling stations across Japan with voting expected to open at 7 a.m. local time on Sunday, NHK reported.
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Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrives at Abe family home, Kyodo News reports
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has arrived at the home of slain former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo, according to Japan’s Kyodo News agency.
Abe’s body arrived at his residence in the Japanese capital earlier on Saturday, according to CNN staff on the ground.
Abe’s widow, Akie Abe, was traveling with his body to Japan’s capital, where funeral arrangements will now be discussed, Abe’s office told CNN earlier.
Dozens of reporters outnumbered uniformed police officers as they waited outside the Abe family’s home for his body to arrive.
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Who is Tetsuya Yamagami? What we know about the man suspected of shooting Shinzo Abe
From CNN's Helen Regan, Emiko Jozuka and Mayumi Maruyama
Security personnel detain Tetsuya Yamagami near the site where Shinzo Abe was shot in Nara, Japan, on July 8.
(Asahi Shimbun/AFP/Getty Images)
Police have launched a murder investigation into the assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe — but little is known about the suspect who was arrested at the scene of the fatal shooting on Friday.
Who is the suspect: Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, admitted to shooting Abe, Nara Nishi police said during a news conference on Friday. Yamagami, who is unemployed, told investigators he holds hatred toward a certain group that he thought Abe was linked to. Police have not named the group.
What kind of gun was fired: The suspect used a homemade gun in the shooting, police said, and images from the scene showed what appeared to be a weapon with two cylindrical metal barrels wrapped in black tape. Authorities later confiscated several handmade pistol-like items from the suspect’s apartment.
The weapon was a gun-like item that measured 40 centimeters (about 16 inches) long and 20 centimeters wide, police said.
Yamagami made multiple types of guns with iron pipes that were wrapped in adhesive tape, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported, citing the police. The police found guns with three, five, and six iron pipes as barrels.
The suspect inserted bullets in the pipe, which he had bought parts for online, police said, according to NHK. Police believe the suspect used the strongest weapon he made in the assassination, NHK added.
Security probe: Japan’s National Police Agency said it will review security arrangements put in place before Friday’s shooting, according to NHK. Security was being handled by Nara prefectural police, which drew up a security plan for the former prime minister while he was in the city.
The agency said several dozen officers and security personnel from the Tokyo Metropolitan police were on duty and had reportedly watched Abe from all sides during his speech, NHK said.
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Chinese leader Xi Jinping sends message of condolences to Japan's Fumio Kishida
From CNN's Yong Xiong
Chinese leader Xi Jinping sent a condolence message to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida over the killing of former leader Shinzo Abe, state media reported Saturday.
Xi noted that Abe made efforts to promote the improvement of China-Japan relations during his time in office and made positive contributions, CCTV said.
Xi said he was deeply saddened by Abe’s death and is willing to work with Kishida to continue to develop China-Japan relations, according to CCTV.
Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, also sent a message of condolences to Abe’s widow, Akie Abe, CCTV said.
Xi met with Abe in Beijing in December 2019, and planed a state visit to Japan in the Spring the following year, but had to cancel the visit because of the coronavirus outbreak.
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Former Japanese leader Shinzo Abe's body arrives in Tokyo
From CNN's Emiko Jozuka in Tokyo
A car transporting the body of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe arrives at his residence in Tokyo on Saturday, July 9
(Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty Images)
The body of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has arrived in Tokyo, according to CNN staff on the ground.
Abe’s widow, Akie Abe, was traveling with his body to Japan’s capital, where funeral arrangements are expected to be discussed, Abe’s office told CNN earlier.
Dozens of reporters outnumbered uniformed police officers as they waited outside the Abe family’s home for his body to arrive.
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Man suspected of killing Shinzo Abe made multiple types of guns with iron pipes, NHK reports
From CNN’s Mayumi Maruyama
The suspect in the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the weapon he used was homemade, Nara Nishi police told a news conference on Friday.
Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, admitted to shooting Abe, police said. Yamagami, who is unemployed, told investigators he holds hatred toward a certain group that he thought Abe was linked to. Police have not named the group.
The weapon was a gun-like item that measured 40 centimeters (about 16 inches) long and 20 centimeters wide, police said.
Yamagami made multiple types of guns with iron pipes that were wrapped in adhesive tape, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported, citing the police. The police found guns with three, five, and six iron pipes as barrels.
The suspect inserted bullets in the pipe, which he had bought parts for online, police said, according to NHK. Police believe the suspect used the strongest weapon he made in the assassination, NHK added.
Abe was fatally shot while making a campaign speech in the streets of Nara prefecture on Friday morning. His death has shocked Japan, a nation with one of the lowest rates of gun crime in the world.
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Japanese officials to discuss funeral arrangements for assassinated former leader Shinzo Abe
From CNN's Helen Regan, Emiko Jozuka and Mayumi Maruyama
On Saturday, the morning after the fatal shooting in a street in central Japan’s Nara, a car believed to be carrying the former world leader’s body left the Nara Medical University Hospital, where Abe had received treatment, according to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK.
His widow, Akie Abe, is traveling with her husband’s body back to Tokyo, where the family resides, before discussing funeral arrangements, Abe’s office told CNN.
In the wake of the killing, tearful mourners gathered to place flowers and kneel at a makeshift memorial outside the Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara, close to where Abe was assassinated.
That a former prime minster could be shot dead at close range while giving a speech in broad daylight in a country with one of the world’s lowest rates of gun crime has reverberated around Japan and the world. Presidents, prime ministers and other international leaders sent tributes expressing outrage and sadness over the killing.
Abe, 67, was pronounced dead at at 5:03 p.m. local time on Friday, just over five hours after being shot while delivering a campaign speech in front of a small crowd on a street.
At the time of the shooting, Abe was speaking in support of ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidates ahead of Upper House elections on Sunday, which are still scheduled to go ahead. Despite resigning as Japan’s prime minister in 2020 due to health reasons, Abe remained an influential figure in the country’s political landscape and continued to campaign for the LDP.
Japan’s “JFK moment”: Abe was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister who defined the country’s politics for a generation.
He will be remembered for boosting defense spending, pushing through the most dramatic shift in Japanese military policy in 70 years, and his grand experiment designed to jolt Japan’s economy out of decades of stagnation, known as “Abenomics.”
Tomohiko Taniguchi, a former special adviser to Abe, said the former prime minister was “one of the most transformative leaders” of Japan and described his killing as the equivalent to the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy.
Hundreds gather in Tokyo to catch a glimpse of car carrying Abe's body
From CNN's Emiko Jozuka in Tokyo
People gather near the Abe family residence in Tokyo on Saturday.
(Emiko Jozuka/CNN)
Hundreds of people have gathered in the streets of Tokyo, close to the Abe family home, hoping to catch a glimpse of the car transporting the body of former prime minister Shinzo Abe to the capital.
People of all ages told CNN they felt disbelief at Abe’s assassination and were saddened by the former leader’s death.
Police officers stand guard near the Abe family home in Tokyo on Saturday.
(Emi Jozuka/CNN)
Another bystander, surnamed Tanimura and who didn’t want to disclose his first name for privacy reasons, told CNN he often saw Abe around the area and wanted to pay his respects.
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Melbourne to be "lit up" on Saturday in honor of Shinzo Abe
The Australian city of Melbourne will be “lit up” on Saturday night to honor the life of former Japanese leader Shinzo Abe following his assassination.
“Major landmarks in the city will be red and white to remember the life of Japan’s longest serving Prime Minister,” Dan Andrews, premier of the state of Victoria, of which Melbourne is the capital, wrote on Twitter Saturday.
In a Twitter post on Friday, Andrews said Abe “served his country with great honour and transformed the geopolitics of our region.”
“He was a wonderful friend of Australia and my thoughts and prayers are with his wife, his family, and the Japanese people,” Andrews wrote.
Governments around the world have announced their national flags will fly at half-staff in honor of Abe, who was fatally shot in broad daylight in Nara on Friday.
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Flags fly at half-staff around the world to mourn Abe's death
The Japanese flag is flown at half staff at the Japanese Embassy in Beijing on July 9.
Governments around the world have announced their national flags will fly at half-staff in honor of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was fatally shot in broad daylight in Nara on Friday.
American flags were lowered in front of the Japanese Mission to the UN in New York on July 8.
United States: President Joe Biden on Friday ordered the nation’s flag to be lowered to half-staff, writing in a presidential proclamation that Abe “was a proud servant of the Japanese people and a faithful friend to the United States.”
India: Flags will be flown at half-staff on “all buildings where the national flag is flown regularly,” a statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced a day of national mourning will be observed Saturday as a mark of India’s “deepest respect” to Abe.
In a tribute to Japan’s former leader, titled “My friend, Abe San,” Modi called Abe an “outstanding leader of Japan” and “a towering global statesman.”
Taiwan: Flags will be flown at half-staff on July 11, government spokesperson Chang Tun-han said in a statement Saturday.
Chang said Abe “had always supported Taiwan greatly.”
“We believe that Taiwan people have gratitude in their hearts to this,” the statement said.
