East Asia

Japan Holds Vigil for Abe 

Officials and mourners attend the vigil for late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot while campaigning for a parliamentary election, at Zojoji Temple, in Tokyo, July 11, 2022.

A vigil was held in Tokyo Monday evening for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a day before his funeral.

He was gunned down Friday while delivering a campaign speech in the western city of Nara.

The assassination has shocked Japan, where gun violence is extremely rare.

The suspect — 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami — is a former member of the country’s Self-Defense Forces.

SEE ALSO: Shinzo Abe, Japan’s Longest-Serving PM, Assassinated

Police say Yamagami believed Abe was connected with a religious group that Yamagami blames for his mother’s financial ruin.

Tetsuya Yamagami, bottom, is detained near the site of gunshots in Nara Prefecture, western Japan. Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe died after being shot during a campaign speech.

South Korea’s Unification Church said Monday that Yamagami’s mother was a member, but denied taking large sums from her.

Neither the suspect nor Abe was a member of the church, but apparently Yamagami believed Abe was.

Abe had, however, supported the church’s peace-promoting efforts over the years.

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press.