It's an interesting read, but temporal context is important. The world has been through a lot. Even if we talk only about Japan, there has been
- COVID
- Tokyo 2020 Olympics
- 3 prime ministers leaving their posts
- Shinzo Abe getting shot
It's an interesting read, but temporal context is important. The world has been through a lot. Even if we talk only about Japan, there has been
- COVID
- Tokyo 2020 Olympics
- 3 prime ministers leaving their posts
- Shinzo Abe getting shot
1. Abe was not in power at the time he was shot. He was giving a campaign speech in support of a running member of his party.
2. Abe was not specifically targeted for his political views or policies. He was a victim of convenience. That is, the real target was the Unification Church. An organization deeply entrenched in the Japanese political sphere and which the killer had a clear personal vendetta against. Abe was a visible public figure with ties to the UC. He was also more accessible to the shooter.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Shinzo_Abe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetsuya_Yamagami
From the first link:
Abe's killing has been described as one of the most effective and successful political assassinations in recent history due to the backlash against the UC that it provoked. The Economist remarked that "... Yamagami's political violence has proved stunningly effective ... Political violence seldom fulfils so many of its perpetrator's aims." Writing for The Atlantic, Robert F. Worth described Yamagami as "among the most successful assassins in history."
The success spoken of here has nothing to do with Abe or his policies. It's rather about the subsequent rise in public awareness and purge of UC's members from Japanese politics.