TOKYO: Tuesday (July 9) marked three years since former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot while delivering an election campaign speech in Nara.
This significant date came during an Upper House election campaign period, like the one which was ongoing when the attack occurred. Many people visited the site of the incident and Abe’s hometown from early morning to pray for his repose.
From 8:40am, as soon as the reception was opened, people came one after another to offer flowers and remember the former prime minister at a commemorative site near the location of the attack in front of Kintetsu Railway Co.’s Yamato-Saidaiji Station in the city.
The area was fenced off, baggage checks were conducted and Nara prefectural police officers stood guard. Around 11:31am, the time when the tragedy occurred, about 100 people offered a moment of silence in the surrounding area.
The shooting happened at 11:31am on July 8, 2022, on a street north of the station, and Abe, then 67, was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead that evening.
Tetsuya Yamagami, 44, was arrested at the scene. He has been indicted on five charges, including murder. His first lay judge trial will be held on Oct 28.
Abe’s wife, Akie, and supporters also visited his grave in his hometown of Yamaguchi Prefecture to pray for his soul’s peace.
A memorial service was held on Tuesday at Choanji temple in Nagato, Yamaguchi Prefecture, where the Abe family’s grave stands. Akie, his relatives and others attended and prayed for his soul to rest in peace.
“I am glad that we were able to complete the memorial service three full years after his death,” Akie said after the ceremony. - The Japan News/ANN
