Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe assassinated for his links with the Moon sect

The vehicle carrying the body of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe leaves Zojo-ji Temple after his funeral in Tokyo on July 12. HIRO KOMAE / AP While the investigation continues into the assassination of Shinzo Abe, targeted for his closeness to the Moon sect, the funeral of the former Japanese Prime Minister was held in privacy on Tuesday July 12, at Zojo-ji Buddhist temple, in the heart of Tokyo. A funeral wake, open to the public, had attracted hundreds of people the day before wishing to pay their last respects to the former head of government killed in Nara while he was delivering a speech as part of the campaign for the senatoriales of the July 10. They could place white carnations on an altar adorned with his portrait, smiling, in a white shirt without a tie. Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Shinzo Abe, ex-prime minister and “kingmaker” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, went there, like the American secretary of the Treasury, Janet Yellen, and the Taiwanese vice-president, William Lai – the highest Taiwanese personality to come to Japan since the rupture of official relations in 1972. Returning from Bali where he took part in the G20 meeting, the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, then stopped over in Tokyo to pay tribute to “a man with a vision” who “did more than a lot to strengthen the relationship between the United States and Japan”. The same day, the Liberal Democratic Party (PLD) in power refrained from any triumphalism after its large victory in the senatorial elections. For the announcement of the results which gave 63 seats to the PLD out of the 125 to be filled, Mr. Kishida wore a dark tie and a black ribbon in his buttonhole, signs of mourning. He had wanted the maintenance of the ballot which “represents a foundation of our democracy, shaken by violence”. The flags were lowered at Kantei, the prime minister’s offices. Relations with religious movements Meanwhile, the police continue to question Tetsuya Yamagami, the author of the shots. The 41-year-old former sailor blamed Mr. Abe for his links with “an organization” that the authorities refused to name, just like the mainstream media, until the weeklies and online publications, less timorous, revealed that It was the Holy Spirit Association for World Unification, also known as the Moon Sect. “I targeted Mr. Abe because of his closeness to the Unification Church,” said Tetsuya Yamagami, who denied killing him for political reasons. Mr. Yamagami’s mother belongs to the Unification Church to which she made large donations that led to his personal bankruptcy on August 21, 2002. According to Mr. Yamagami, his hatred of Mr. Abe is due that this commitment – ​​confirmed by the sect – led to the break-up of his family. The Unification Church was established in 1954 by South Korean Reverend Moon Sun-myung (1920-2012). With nearly three million members worldwide, it was renamed in 2005 the Federation of Families for World Peace and Unification. You have 51.35% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.