2 years after Abe’s shooting in Japan, ‘second-generation’ Unification Church members struggling

Monday marks two years since former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot, while issues related to the Unification Church and the plight of “second-generation” members of religious groups that drew attention afterward remain unsolved.

Many mourners visited a flower-laying table set at the site where Japan’s longest-serving prime minister was shot in Nara, western Japan, on July 8, 2022, at the age of 67, by a man allegedly using a home-made gun during an election campaign speech.

The 43-year-old assailant, Tetsuya Yamagami, has been indicted for murder. He has told investigators that he held a grudge against the controversial religious group because of massive donations made by his mother.

“The incident brought to light the issue of second-generation members. I want to know about [Yamagami’s] motivations in detail through his trial,” Toshiko Nanri, 77, from Osaka Prefecture, said outside a train station where Abe was gunned down.

A 20-year-old male university student said, “The audience could have been harmed. Baggage checks should be conducted as much as possible during a campaign speech.”

The table for memorial flowers was fenced to secure safety, with baggage checks also carried out.

In Nagato, Yamaguchi Prefecture, where the slain ex-premier’s constituency was located, his widow Akie visited his grave and attended a memorial service.

“We were able to complete the memorial service without trouble,” she told reporters.

A flower-laying table was also set up in the prefecture’s Shimonoseki. “I had nearly 30 years of relations with [Abe]. For a person pursuing a political career, he was like the North Star,” said Yukihiro Fukuda, 76, a former city assembly member.

The trial of Yamagami is expected to start next year.