5 ms·

The most surprising thing here is that he was shot. How does someone even get a gun in Japan? Number two is he’s the exPM, so what would shooting him gain?

laurieg 4y ago
While the gun laws are strict, you can get a licence for hunting or sport. Requirements include testing, demonstration of safe usage, separate safes for gun and ammunition and possible random police checks on your gun and storage. Shotguns are most common. Rifles are rarer but possible with a history of ownership of a shotgun.
- solarmist 4y ago
  Sure, but I assume this wasn't out in the countryside either. I can't imagine it would be easy to get close with a shotgun or rifle.
  - cyphar 4y ago
    It was in Nara which is a reasonably big city but has lots of surrounding rural areas. According to NHK, police are saying it may have been a shotgun (the article has been edited multiple times and it's even less sure of that then when I left my comment).
    - solarmist 4y ago
      If it was a shotgun it certainly looks modified if it's a shotgun.
      - cyphar 4y ago
        Yeah I just saw the photo. I guess that was just the first impression they had when they were asked by the news?
  - kubatyszko 4y ago
    I'm not sure hunting deer in Nara is allowed (it IS known a "deer city" and deer freely roam the streets. Maybe permitted outside of the city), but of all places where someone could have a shotgun - Nara is definitely one of them.
tjpnz 4y ago
You can get a hunting rifle but there's still an illicit trade in firearms like in any other country. Too early to speculate on motivations but most of the violent crimes you see reported here are perpetrated by individuals with severe mental issues.
ayngg 4y ago
From the alleged pictures I saw, the gun kind of looks handmade.
- cwwc 4y ago
  Very much so: https://www.asahi.com/articles/photo/AS20220708001407.html?iref=pc_photo_gallery_1 https://www.asahi.com/articles/photo/AS20220708001407.html?i...
- zzleeper 4y ago
  https://twitter.com/nk55zRXFyFv1zgP/status/1545253125287645186 https://twitter.com/nk55zRXFyFv1zgP/status/15452531252876451... Also see this video.. so much smoke...
  - jakogut 4y ago
    Indeed, it looks to be a crude double barrel shotgun loaded with black powder. Such firearms are easier to make, as black powder has lower peak pressures which don't necessitate a very sturdy construction, especially in large bores. Also, black powder can be DIY manufactured from commonly available supplies like charcoal, sulfur, and potassium nitrate, unlike modern smokeless powders, which have a much more complex manufacturing process.
cwwc 4y ago
Re: (partially) 1: looks homemade https://twitter.com/Mesuiki_aaaaa/status/1545247925990993920?s=20&t=RUeZu-zLm8TRpiBVfIapwQ https://twitter.com/Mesuiki_aaaaa/status/1545247925990993920...
- solarmist 4y ago
  Yes it does. What I can see of it.
- nonethewiser 4y ago
  Any pics of it that dont require a Twitter account?
  - GolfPopper 4y ago
    nitter.net is a free and open source twitter front end that, among many other things, lets you view tweets without an account.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - gedy 4y ago
    https://nitter.net/pic/orig/media%2FFXHSzExaIAAaAXe.jpg https://nitter.net/pic/orig/media%2FFXHSzExaIAAaAXe.jpg
  - totetsu 4y ago
    https://www.asahi.com/articles/photo/AS20220708001405.html?iref=pc_photo_gallery_5 https://www.asahi.com/articles/photo/AS20220708001405.html?i...
  - Markoff 4y ago
    always just replace twitter.com in URL with nitter.net or nitter.cz
ramraj07 4y ago
You mean in the land of the yakuza?
- solarmist 4y ago
  I don't know what you're trying to imply here? Yakuza aren't know for guns or political assassinations.
  - ramraj07 4y ago
    Just that no place is as pristine as people initially make out to be. There’s always a hidden underbelly, it’s just human nature to have one. So it wouldn’t be surprising that a determined person can get a gun in any place on the planet.
    - solarmist 4y ago
      Sure, I wasn’t surprised about the assassination, just the gun part.
  - nonethewiser 4y ago
    And Japan isn't known for accurate crime statistics
  - astrange 4y ago
    A Yakuza boss assassinated the mayor of Nagasaki with a gun in 2007 because he was mad the government dinged his car and didn't pay him for it. Seemed like more of a personal project though.
brutusborn 4y ago
I doubt the shooter had any reasoning higher than "I don't like his policies, thus I should punish him"
creakingstairs 4y ago
> he’s the exPM, so what would shooting him gain? He may be an exPM but he is the leader of the current mainstream faction (Hosoda faction) within the ruling party. So this is kinda huge.
- solarmist 4y ago
  Ah, didn’t realize that he was still party leader.
  - creakingstairs 4y ago
    I don’t think he is an official part leader but more of an unofficial faction leader. Japan is pretty much a one party state and it’s the factions within the party that determine the direction of the country.
    - djvdq 4y ago
      One party state? On Wikipedia I can see that even government is made of two parties in coalition, with 8 (mostly minor, but still) parties in opposition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Diet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Diet
      - creakingstairs 4y ago
        His party has ruled for more than 55 years since WW2. That’s what I meant by “pretty much one party state”
        djvdq 4y ago
        Oh, I have no idea about it. Thank you!
    - xboxnolifes 4y ago
      How is multiple factions in 1 party meaningfully different from having multiple parties?
ytch 4y ago
> he’s the exPM, so what would shooting him gain? Abe still has important impacts on Japan politics. He leads the largest faction in the Liberal Democratic Party[1], therefore he could influence many voters during LDP President election. And LDP is the ruling party, so LDP President will be the PM. Another example is he stated “If Taiwan has a problem, then Japan also has a problem.” last year as an ex-PM[2], although it is not official policy, this statements is still being discussed among Japanese government/people till now, it shows he still has huge influence in Japan. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factions_in_the_Liberal_Democratic_Party_(Japan)#Seiwa_Seisaku_Kenkyūkai_(清和政策研究会,_Seiwa_Political_Analysis_Council) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factions_in_the_Liberal_Democr... [2] https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4361798 https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4361798
kumarvvr 4y ago
> so what would shooting him gain? To send a message.

laurieg 4y ago

While the gun laws are strict, you can get a licence for hunting or sport. Requirements include testing, demonstration of safe usage, separate safes for gun and ammunition and possible random police checks on your gun and storage. Shotguns are most common. Rifles are rarer but possible with a history of ownership of a shotgun.

solarmist 4y ago
Sure, but I assume this wasn't out in the countryside either. I can't imagine it would be easy to get close with a shotgun or rifle.
- cyphar 4y ago
  It was in Nara which is a reasonably big city but has lots of surrounding rural areas. According to NHK, police are saying it may have been a shotgun (the article has been edited multiple times and it's even less sure of that then when I left my comment).
  - solarmist 4y ago
    If it was a shotgun it certainly looks modified if it's a shotgun.
    - cyphar 4y ago
      Yeah I just saw the photo. I guess that was just the first impression they had when they were asked by the news?
- kubatyszko 4y ago
  I'm not sure hunting deer in Nara is allowed (it IS known a "deer city" and deer freely roam the streets. Maybe permitted outside of the city), but of all places where someone could have a shotgun - Nara is definitely one of them.

tjpnz 4y ago

You can get a hunting rifle but there's still an illicit trade in firearms like in any other country. Too early to speculate on motivations but most of the violent crimes you see reported here are perpetrated by individuals with severe mental issues.

ayngg 4y ago

From the alleged pictures I saw, the gun kind of looks handmade.

cwwc 4y ago
Very much so: https://www.asahi.com/articles/photo/AS20220708001407.html?iref=pc_photo_gallery_1 https://www.asahi.com/articles/photo/AS20220708001407.html?i...
zzleeper 4y ago
https://twitter.com/nk55zRXFyFv1zgP/status/1545253125287645186 https://twitter.com/nk55zRXFyFv1zgP/status/15452531252876451... Also see this video.. so much smoke...
- jakogut 4y ago
  Indeed, it looks to be a crude double barrel shotgun loaded with black powder. Such firearms are easier to make, as black powder has lower peak pressures which don't necessitate a very sturdy construction, especially in large bores. Also, black powder can be DIY manufactured from commonly available supplies like charcoal, sulfur, and potassium nitrate, unlike modern smokeless powders, which have a much more complex manufacturing process.

cwwc 4y ago

Re: (partially) 1: looks homemade https://twitter.com/Mesuiki_aaaaa/status/1545247925990993920?s=20&t=RUeZu-zLm8TRpiBVfIapwQ https://twitter.com/Mesuiki_aaaaa/status/1545247925990993920...

solarmist 4y ago
Yes it does. What I can see of it.
nonethewiser 4y ago
Any pics of it that dont require a Twitter account?
- GolfPopper 4y ago
  nitter.net is a free and open source twitter front end that, among many other things, lets you view tweets without an account.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- gedy 4y ago
  https://nitter.net/pic/orig/media%2FFXHSzExaIAAaAXe.jpg https://nitter.net/pic/orig/media%2FFXHSzExaIAAaAXe.jpg
- totetsu 4y ago
  https://www.asahi.com/articles/photo/AS20220708001405.html?iref=pc_photo_gallery_5 https://www.asahi.com/articles/photo/AS20220708001405.html?i...
- Markoff 4y ago
  always just replace twitter.com in URL with nitter.net or nitter.cz

ramraj07 4y ago

You mean in the land of the yakuza?

solarmist 4y ago
I don't know what you're trying to imply here? Yakuza aren't know for guns or political assassinations.
- ramraj07 4y ago
  Just that no place is as pristine as people initially make out to be. There’s always a hidden underbelly, it’s just human nature to have one. So it wouldn’t be surprising that a determined person can get a gun in any place on the planet.
  - solarmist 4y ago
    Sure, I wasn’t surprised about the assassination, just the gun part.
- nonethewiser 4y ago
  And Japan isn't known for accurate crime statistics
- astrange 4y ago
  A Yakuza boss assassinated the mayor of Nagasaki with a gun in 2007 because he was mad the government dinged his car and didn't pay him for it. Seemed like more of a personal project though.

brutusborn 4y ago

I doubt the shooter had any reasoning higher than "I don't like his policies, thus I should punish him"

creakingstairs 4y ago

> he’s the exPM, so what would shooting him gain? He may be an exPM but he is the leader of the current mainstream faction (Hosoda faction) within the ruling party. So this is kinda huge.

solarmist 4y ago
Ah, didn’t realize that he was still party leader.
- creakingstairs 4y ago
  I don’t think he is an official part leader but more of an unofficial faction leader. Japan is pretty much a one party state and it’s the factions within the party that determine the direction of the country.
  - djvdq 4y ago
    One party state? On Wikipedia I can see that even government is made of two parties in coalition, with 8 (mostly minor, but still) parties in opposition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Diet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Diet
    - creakingstairs 4y ago
      His party has ruled for more than 55 years since WW2. That’s what I meant by “pretty much one party state”
      - djvdq 4y ago
        Oh, I have no idea about it. Thank you!
  - xboxnolifes 4y ago
    How is multiple factions in 1 party meaningfully different from having multiple parties?

ytch 4y ago

> he’s the exPM, so what would shooting him gain? Abe still has important impacts on Japan politics. He leads the largest faction in the Liberal Democratic Party[1], therefore he could influence many voters during LDP President election. And LDP is the ruling party, so LDP President will be the PM. Another example is he stated “If Taiwan has a problem, then Japan also has a problem.” last year as an ex-PM[2], although it is not official policy, this statements is still being discussed among Japanese government/people till now, it shows he still has huge influence in Japan. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factions_in_the_Liberal_Democratic_Party_(Japan)#Seiwa_Seisaku_Kenkyūkai_(清和政策研究会,_Seiwa_Political_Analysis_Council) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factions_in_the_Liberal_Democr... [2] https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4361798 https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4361798

kumarvvr 4y ago

> so what would shooting him gain? To send a message.