Shinzo Abe

Shinzo Abe - born September 21 , 1954 – July 8, 2022) was a Japanese politician & statesman who served as Prime Minister of Japan & President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2006 to 2007 & again from 2012 to 2020. He was the longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history, serving for almost 9 years in total. Abe also served as Chief Cabinet Secretary from 2005 to 2006 under Junichiro Koizumi & was briefly the opposition leader in 2012. He was killed by an assailant while giving a speech, The assassin approached him from behind & fired 2 shots using a homemade firearm. The 1st shot missed & prompted Abe to turn around, at which point a 2nd shot was fired, hitting Abe in the neck & chest area. A 41-year-old man named Tetsuya Yamagami, a former JMSDF member, was immediately arrested & later confessed to local police. Yamagami stated that he held a grudge against the Unification Church & shot Shinzo Abe because "the religious group & Abe were connected". Yamagami said he resented the fact that his mother was brain-washed by the religious group, & had gone bankrupt as a result of supporting them.