Shinzo Abe ;the longest serving PM of Japan from 2012 to 2020,;and the youngest PM in post WWII history was assassinated while campaigning for his party . He was a staunch ally of the United States . He resigned due to having chronic ulcerative colitis.
While in office he instituted an economic program that was dubbed 'Abenomics ' (more currency weakening and government stimulus spending ) .But the economy was improving until covid and the Tokyo Olympics were cancelled .
He raised Japan's global image and increased Japan's defensive military presence reversing years of a Constitutional policy of pacifism. He stabilized relations with China, where anti-Japanese protests had raged in the weeks before his second election. The relationship has again soured after China's crackdown on Hong Kong.
Similarly he tried to mend territorial disputes with Russia . The reproachment has reversed since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
As a side note . Japan has arguably the toughest gun laws .To obtain a gun in Japan ,one needs to apply for a permit, attend a class on gun safety and laws, and pass a written test. There is a full day training course on safe shooting and practicing techniques. There are multiple rounds of checks and verification on the gun owner’s background and health, including information about their family, mental health, personal debt, and criminal record. The gun must be registered with and inspected by police. It appears the assassin used a home made shot gun.(from the amount of smoke from the blast )Abe was shot from behind .
