The bizarre story behind Shinzo Abe’s assassination
Since the former prime minister was fatally shot, his killer’s claims about the influence of “the Moonies” cult group on Japanese politics have been substantiated.
On the last morning of his life, Shinzo Abe arrived in the Japanese city of Nara, famous for its ancient pagodas and sacred deer. His destination was more prosaic: a broad urban intersection across from the city’s main train station, where he would be giving a speech to endorse a lawmaker running for re-election to the National Diet, Japan’s parliament.
Abe had retired two years earlier, but because he was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, his name carried enormous weight. The date was July 8, 2022.
