RIP Shinzo Abe

[99call]

Just wanted to express a sadness and dismay about the killing of what seemed like a very kind and mild mannered man. 

I know a very small about Japanese politics, but he seemed to be a universally loved and respected figure. I'm sure every political figure attracts their enemies no matter how meek and mild. 

Nobody deserves this, but it just made me especially sad and angry, that there are so many hateful, self serving, destabilising, and corrupt politicians in the world right now, and THIS guy get assassinated!!!?   The world makes no sense sometimes. 

RIP

[yossie]

Thanks for your feeling toward him.

I didn't expect Any politicians were killed, especially by gun in modern Japan.

[BrightonCorgi]

He was a quite a well known international political figure in the States.  The only Japanese politician the average American could name.  My condolences to his family and the nation of Japan.

[anacostiakat]

Quite shocking.    RIP

[JohnS]

2 hours ago, yossie said:

Thanks for your feeling toward him.

I didn't expect Any politicians were killed, especially by gun in modern Japan.

Yes, to be murdered by a ballistic weapon is practically unheard of in Japanese society.

[Puros Y Vino]

Apparently the "gun" was home made, possibly a 3D print.  (pic below)

[gormag38]

Nobody deserves a death in this matter. My condolences to his family and his supporters. 

[Fuzz]

3 hours ago, 99call said:

Just wanted to express a sadness and dismay about the killing of what seemed like a very kind and mild mannered man. 

I know a very small about Japanese politics, but he seemed to be a universally loved and respected figure. I'm sure every political figure attracts their enemies no matter how meek and mild. 

Nobody deserves this, but it just made me especially sad and angry, that there are so many hateful, self serving, destabilising, and corrupt politicians in the world right now, and THIS guy get assassinated!!!?   The world makes no sense sometimes. 

RIP

No, nobody deserves to be murdered, but universally loved? Not in Korea or China.

[99call]

53 minutes ago, Fuzz said:

No, nobody deserves to be murdered, but universally loved? Not in Korea or China.

Considering the histories between these countries, I'm not sure their will every be a loved Japanese politician.

My point was to say, as politicians go, he seemed to be someone capable of conducting himself in a decent manner.  In todays world, that seems like a minor miracle. 

[DikkeSigaar]

I share OP's sentiment 100%. Out of the whole motly crew of assorted modern day politicians this seemingly decent man gets shot. It's puzzling to say the least. Guess the scumbags know they need good security details. Rest in peace Shinzo Abe.

[La_Tigre]

Wtf. This world is insanity. 

[Fuzz]

11 hours ago, 99call said:

Considering the histories between these countries, I'm not sure their will every be a loved Japanese politician.

My point was to say, as politicians go, he seemed to be someone capable of conducting himself in a decent manner.  In todays world, that seems like a minor miracle. 

It's bad form to speak ill of the recently dead, but the dude had a tight rein on the media that the PRC would be proud of.

[SCgarman]

Just goes to show in a country basically devoid of firearms, where there is a will there is a way. 

[phantomwhiff]

 

14 hours ago, 99call said:

Considering the histories between these countries, I'm not sure their will every be a loved Japanese politician.

My point was to say, as politicians go, he seemed to be someone capable of conducting himself in a decent manner.  In todays world, that seems like a minor miracle. 

It's more than the general animosity between China and Japan due to the history of Japanese imperialism. It's that Abe's grandfather was involved directly in that imperialism, known as the Monster of Manchuria, and Abe is a nationalist, an advocate for Japanese remilitarization. The US reinstated many of the same people who were running the show in Japan prior to WWII during the cold war so Japan wouldn't go communist.

https://palladiummag.com/2022/06/03/the-works-of-the-monster-of-showa/

[Fugu]

3 hours ago, SCgarman said:

Just goes to show in a country basically devoid of firearms, where there is a will there is a way. 

Goes to show right nothing. At least not what you are insinuating. One of the countries with the lowest number of kills by shootings.

Where there is a will there’s always a way - so what...?

[yossie]

3 hours ago, phantomwhiff said:

Abe is a nationalist, an advocate for Japanese remilitarization.

I neither like/dislike him. But for his honor, You probably misunderstand In the point of "remilitarization". He hasn't planned to have nukes/strategic bombers or ICBMs. His party just wants cruise missiles or something like that to prevent Ballistic missile launches, mainly from North Korea. He has never attempted to begin any war.   He was probably nationalist in your view, He didn't even strike on NK He disliked. 

[99call]

2 hours ago, Fugu said:

Goes to show right nothing. At least not what you are insinuating. One of the countries with the lowest number of kills by shootings.

Where there is a will there’s always a way - so what...?

I'm glad you rebuffed this, so I didn't have to.   I just knew someone would attempt some ill formed 'whataboutery'. 

For anyone reading .......This thread is not about guns!

It's about:

A, Sympathies for a man who has been horribly murdered.   and 

B, The slight sense of morbid wonder that in an era of awful politicians, this is the guy who's been the target of an assassination. 

[phantomwhiff]

1 hour ago, yossie said:

I neither like/dislike him. But for his honor, You probably misunderstand In the point of "remilitarization". He hasn't planned to have nukes/strategic bombers or ICBMs. His party just wants cruise missiles or something like that to prevent Ballistic missile launches, mainly from North Korea. He has never attempted to begin any war.   He was probably nationalist in your view, He didn't even strike on NK He disliked. 

Yes, I don't think Japanese remilitarization is about simple defense against North Korea, and neither do I think North Korea has any intention of attacking Japan. I think Japanese remilitarization, if it is to occur, will happen with the support of the US and only on the terms that the Japanese remain allied with US geopolitical interests, and shoulder some of the burden of US military presence in the region in the effort to contain a rising China. And that is what it is really about. 

Personally I'm not opposed in principle to Japanese having a military or even nuclear weapons, I'm against the US empire. But my point was just to explain that unsavory feelings that Chinese and Koreans may have towards Abe are more substantive than a general dislike of the Japanese (which also surely exists).

[ayedfy]

On 7/9/2022 at 7:48 PM, phantomwhiff said:

But my point was just to explain that unsavory feelings that Chinese and Koreans may have towards Abe are more substantive than a general dislike of the Japanese (which also surely exists).

Indeed - people don't want to talk about this now because it's considered bad form to speak ill of the recently deceased. But Abe publicly denied Japanese war crimes against both of those nations (or in some cases affirmed and defended, such as the use of Korean "comfort women" by the Japanese army), which also fed into a subset of Japanese culture believing Japan were the good guys in WW2. Abe was like if a German chancellor erected heroic monuments to the Gestapo and tried to wipe references to Auschwitz from textbooks. I don't celebrate his death because I don't celebrate the death of anyone, but a lot of people in those countries are and I can't say I hold it against them.