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world news Dialuna 11 Juli 2022

Abe’s killing haunts Japan with questions on handmade guns

(AP) — The shooting Bodyguard Association in Ja-
sent shudders through pan, and other experts believe Isao Itabashi, chief of the re-
low-crime, orderly Japan: that the Japanese may have search division at the Coun-
A high-profile politi- merely learned superficial cil for Public Policy, which
cian gets killed by a man things like escort formation oversees such risks, said that
emerging from a crowd, rather than the prevention providing security during
wielding a handmade fire- mindset critical to security. an election campaign was
arm so roughly made it's challenging when the whole
wrapped up in tape. "Japanese are so used to lead- point is for politicians to get
ing peaceful lives, the se- close to people.
The 40-centimeter-long (16- curity guards were caught
inch) firearm that was used asleep," says Yasuhiro Sasaki, Unlike the U.S., the use of
to kill former Prime Minis- president of Safety-Pro, a To- bulletproof glass is relatively
ter Shinzo Abe on Friday as kyo-based security company. scant in Japan, and secu-
he campaigned for his ruling Sasaki said he couldn't believe rity officials rarely resort to
party in Nara, western Ja- that no one moved to protect shooting potential attackers.
pan, looked crude, more like Abe in the seconds between "The presumption here is
a propellant made of pipes the first and the second shot, that people are not armed,"
taped together and filled with a scene shown over and over Itabashi said.
explosives. ternet, and guns can be made was assaulted at the funeral on national TV.
with a 3D printer. for former Prime Minister Osanai worried that more
A raid of the suspect's home, Some analysts characterized Eisaku Sato, Abe's great- Guards should have acted by people may use handcrafted
a one-room apartment in the attack on Abe as "lone- uncle, Japan set up a secu- physically pulling Abe away guns like the one used in
Nara, turned up several such wolf terrorism." In such cas- rity team modeled after the from danger, Sasaki said. Abe's assassination in "copy-
guns, police said. Unlike es, the perpetrator acts alone, American Secret Service. More critically, he wondered cat crimes." He noted a trend
standard weapons, handmade often in sympathy with cer- why weren't they aware of a of disgruntled people turning
guns are practically impos- tain political views, making Hideto Ted Osanai, chief ex- suspicious person approach- to random crimes, indiscrim-
sible to trace, making an in- the crime very difficult to de- ecutive at the International ing, drawing what could be a inately targeting victims.
vestigation difficult. tect in advance. weapon from a bag?
"Japan's conformist culture
Such weapons are rarely used The motive for Abe's assassi- makes it difficult for some
in Japan, where most attacks nation remains unclear. Japa- people to live freely, and they
involve stabbings or dousing nese media reported that the put great pressure on them-
a place with gasoline and set- suspect had developed ha- selves. When they blame
ting it ablaze, or running hay- tred toward a religious group themselves, they turn to sui-
wire on the street in a vehicle. that his mother was obsessed cide. When they blame oth-
Strict gun control laws likely about and that caused his ers, they turn to indiscrimi-
made the suspect choose a family financial problems. nate crimes," he said.
handcrafted weapon. Tetsuya The reports did not specify
Yamagami, who was arrested the group. Last year, a man wearing a
on the spot, was a former Joker costume brandished a
member of Japan's navy, and Japan has seen attacks on pol- knife and started a fire on a
knew how to handle and as- iticians in the past. In 1960, Tokyo train, injuring 17 peo-
semble weapons. Abe's grandfather, then- ple. In December 2021, arson
Prime Minister Nobusuke at a clinic in Osaka killed 25
Crime experts say instruc- Kishi, was stabbed but sur- people. In 2019, another ar-
tions on how to make guns vived. In 1975, when then- son in a Kyoto animation stu-
are floating around on the in- Prime Minister Takeo Miki dio killed 36 people.

N Korea likely fired artillery rounds amid US-S Korea drills

(AP) — North Korea ap- North Korea typically views
peared to have conduct- Last week, six U.S. F-35 air- joint exercises between U.S.
ed artillery firing drills craft from Eielson Air Force and South Korea as an inva-
on Sunday, South Korea Base in Alaska arrived in sion rehearsal and responds
said, days after the United South Korea for their first with its own weapons tests.
States deployed sophisti- temporary deployment in U.S. and South Korean de-
cated fighter jets to South South Korea in about 4 ½ fense officials have repeatedly
Korea for joint training. years for joint training with said they have no intentions
South Korean fighter jets. of attacking North Korea.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of
Staff said in a statement that South Korea's Defense Min- North Korea has said it was
it detected multiple trajecto- istry said the jets' deployment forced to develop nuclear
ries presumed to be North is aimed at demonstrating the weapons to cope with U.S.
Korean artillery on Sunday allies' combined defense pos- military threats. Despite its
afternoon. It said South Ko- director Kim Sung-han re- siles that place both the U.S. ture and strong deterrence torrid run of missile tests ear-
rea's military maintained a viewed South Korean mili- mainland and its allies includ- against potential external ag- lier this year, North Korea
firm readiness in close co- tary readiness and that his of- ing South Korea and Japan gression while improving the hasn't conducted its expected
ordination with the United fice closely monitors possible with striking distance. Some interoperability of the two first nuclear bomb test in five
States. additional launches by North experts say North Korea at- air forces. A U.S. military years, and Seoul officials said
Korea. tempts to perfect its weap- statement said the U.S. air- that's likely because of an on-
South Korea's presidential ons technology and boost craft planned to operate over going COVID-19 outbreak
office said the suspected This year, North Korea has its bargaining chip in future South Korea and surround- and opposition by China, its
launches occurred off the carried out an unusually large negotiations with the United ing waters during the sched- last major ally and aid bene-
North's west coast. It said number of weapons tests, in- States to win sanctions relief uled 10-day training mission. factor.
presidential national security cluding nuclear-capable mis- or security guarantees.