Shinzo Abe’s death ‘could have been avoided’ if his security acted faster, new analysis shows

Abe’s security detail failed to shield or remove him from the line of fire in seconds between a missed first shot and the second round that killed him

Japan’s National Police Agency has said the former prime minister’s killing was the result of officers failing to fulfil their responsibility

Reading Time:3 minutes

A police officer detains the man who shot Shinzo Abe in Nara on July 8. Analysts said the priority should have been shielding or moving the former Japanese prime minister. Photo: The Asahi Newspaper via Reuters

Published: 2:03pm, 19 Jul 2022Updated: 5:09pm, 19 Jul 2022

Bodyguards could have saved Shinzo Abe if they shielded him or removed him from the line of fire in the 2.5 seconds between a missed first shot and a second round of gunfire that fatally wounded him, according to eight security experts who reviewed footage of the former Japanese leader’s assassination.

The failure to protect Abe from the second shot followed what appeared to be a series of security lapses in the lead-up to the assassination of Japan’s longest-serving prime minister on July 8, the Japanese and international experts said.

Abe’s killing in the western city of Nara by a man using a home-made weapon shocked a nation where gun violence is rare and politicians campaign up close to the public with light security.

A police officer tackles a man identified as Tetsuya Yamagami after the shooting of Shinzo Abe on July 8. Photo: The Yomiuri Newspaper/via Reuters

Japanese authorities – including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida – have acknowledged security lapses, and police say they are investigating.

In addition to the security experts, six witnesses at the scene were interviewed and multiple videos available online, taken from different angles, were examined to piece together a detailed account of security measures ahead of the shooting.

After leaving 67-year-old Abe exposed from behind as he spoke on a traffic island on a public road, his security detail allowed the shooter – identified by police as Tetsuya Yamagami, 41 – to come within metres of Abe unchecked, carrying a weapon, the footage showed.

“They should have seen the attacker very deliberately walking towards the rear of the prime minister and intervened,” said Kenneth Bombace, head of Global Threat Solutions, which provided security to Joe Biden when he was a presidential candidate.