Longest-serving Japanese PM assassinated

[He's here!]

Home - BBC News (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news)

[overdrive]

Terrible.

Looks like a homemade gun he used. The photo they showed of the suspected gun on the BBC looked pretty primitive. It looked like it was a bunch of parts held together with gaffa tape.

[He's here!]

Terrible.

Looks like a homemade gun he used. The photo they showed of the suspected gun on the BBC looked pretty primitive. It looked like it was a bunch of parts held together with gaffa tape.

Think the gun laws are very strict in Japan.

[hibsbollah]

One of the biggest figures in global politics over the last ten years, crazy news. Was just reading banner headlines in Le Monde, but for some reason it’s below the ‘already happened’ Boris news in this country.

[hibsbollah]

Think the gun laws are very strict in Japan.

…already been used by Trump supporters to make the case that gun laws don’t work :rolleyes:

[Pretty Boy]

One of the biggest figures in global politics over the last ten years, crazy news. Was just reading banner headlines in Le Monde, but for some reason it’s below the ‘already happened’ Boris news in this country.

What site is that? I'm logged into the BBC and the Abe story takes up 6 of the first 10 stories on my homepage.

[He's here!]

One of the biggest figures in global politics over the last ten years, crazy news. Was just reading banner headlines in Le Monde, but for some reason it’s below the ‘already happened’ Boris news in this country.

That's quite a different go-to source (at least on here). Assuming you're a French speaker? Bit of a tangent from this thread but we used to keep in touch with a French family who lived in Scotland for a while and when we went to visit them I quite enjoyed seeing what sense I could make of the husband's copy of L'Équipe. It was interesting to see how even the coverage of numerous sports was compared the football-dominated UK sports pages.

[Smartie]

What site is that? I'm logged into the BBC and the Abe story takes up 6 of the first 10 stories on my homepage.

I put on the BBC News TV channel and it's definitely playing second fiddle to the Boris news on there.

It's got top billing online though.

At high school I remember studying both the world wars of the 20th century in history. All of this feels like we're living through a whole set of seemingly unrelated events that eventually ended up leading to a colossal world war.

[Brummie_Hibs]

All of this feels like we're living through a whole set of seemingly unrelated events that eventually ended up leading to a colossal world war.
In years to come there will be a band called Shinzo Abe

[neil7908]

…already been used by Trump supporters to make the case that gun laws don’t work :rolleyes:

How sick and desperate they are. I think I read that Japan had something like 6 gun deaths in 2014 and they never get above 10. That's in a country of 125m.

I just wish they would admit that they don't care about other people's lives rather than come up with total BS like this.

[makaveli1875]

Mental , Japan has some of the lowest crime rates around . There’s nutters everywhere unfortunately. Genuinely shocking news .
R.I.P shinzo-san

[He's here!]

Mental , Japan has some of the lowest crime rates around . There’s nutters everywhere unfortunately. Genuinely shocking news .
R.I.P shinzo-san

Nutters everywhere indeed. Not long since we saw a UK politician stabbed to death by one.

This article underlines what a safe country it is and how politicians require little or no security. Sad that we may see that change now:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-62074223

[hibsbollah]

That's quite a different go-to source (at least on here). Assuming you're a French speaker? Bit of a tangent from this thread but we used to keep in touch with a French family who lived in Scotland for a while and when we went to visit them I quite enjoyed seeing what sense I could make of the husband's copy of L'Équipe. It was interesting to see how even the coverage of numerous sports was compared the football-dominated UK sports pages.

Yes i speak a bit. Of course all the big European papers have pages in English anyway, but its good to get a foreign perspective on things. They generally talk about the environment a lot more than UK papers do. L'Equipe is great, i have a subscription and its totally worth it even if you don't have an interest in Ligue 1, but just like sport in general.

[Jones28]

…already been used by Trump supporters to make the case that gun laws don’t work :rolleyes:

😂 you just have to laugh at people who claim things like that.

[Hibernia&Alba]

Certainly not something you would expect to happen in a country like Japan. A terrible event, it will be interesting to learn what the assassin's motivation was.

[hibsbollah]

What site is that? I'm logged into the BBC and the Abe story takes up 6 of the first 10 stories on my homepage.

The Guardian had it at the bottom of their page, it was just full on domestic politics this morning.

[Glory Lurker]

Tragic though it is, is the assassination of a former PM in a distant country really news here? It's symptomatic of 24 hour rolling news trying to sook us in with what they have film of, rather than what is actually relevant.

[Paul1642]

Is there any suggestion as to what the motive was?

[cabbageandribs1875]

what is this unnamed group that shinzo Abe was supposedly a member of that so upset his murderer :confused:

[hibsbollah]

Tragic though it is, is the assassination of a former PM in a distant country really news here? It's symptomatic of 24 hour rolling news trying to sook us in with what they have film of, rather than what is actually relevant.

Depends on your point of view doesn't it? He was much more than just 'a former PM', it's akin to a figure like Thatcher or Blair getting blown away 2 years after they'd left office. It could have massive implications in terms of tensions in the Pacific and alround nationalism on the rise. Hopefully nobody pins it on a foreign plot (North Korea? China?) or we're really up the creek

[Glory Lurker]

Depends on your point of view doesn't it? He was much more than just 'a former PM', it's akin to a figure like Thatcher or Blair getting blown away 2 years after they'd left office. It could have massive implications in terms of tensions in the Pacific and alround nationalism on the rise. Hopefully nobody pins it on a foreign plot (North Korea? China?) or we're really up the creek

What gain would any of Japan's enemies have in killing him?

I don't see how the assassination of a former premier anywhere in the world is likely to have a geopolitical effect. It might cause issues in the country in question but that's it.

Unless there is a current, realistic concern that the assassination might have a wider implication then it really does not deserve rolling news.

[Smartie]

What gain would any of Japan's enemies have in killing him?

I don't see how the assassination of a former premier anywhere in the world is likely to have a geopolitical effect. It might cause issues in the country in question but that's it.

Unless there is a current, realistic concern that the assassination might have a wider implication then it really does not deserve rolling news.

I guess you’ve also got potential diplomatic upset as nations respond to the news.

Whilst it might seem a stretch for a foreign power to have participated in it, there are enough delicate situations ongoing between Japan, China, Russia and others that the aftermath of this incident could prove to be a bit dangerous.

[Glory Lurker]

I guess you’ve also got potential diplomatic upset as nations respond to the news.

Whilst it might seem a stretch for a foreign power to have participated in it, there are enough delicate situations ongoing between Japan, China, Russia and others that the aftermath of this incident could prove to be a bit dangerous.

Only if it looks like it was anything other than a bampot that did it. And that it could affect the political situation in a way that might affect us.

Just now, there's none of that. It's just rolling news justifying its existence and bigging up the irrelevant, but the new. Remember when Ukraine was of interest?

[Ozyhibby]

Only if it looks like it was anything other than a bampot that did it. And that it could affect the political situation in a way that might affect us.

Just now, there's none of that. It's just rolling news justifying its existence and bigging up the irrelevant, but the new. Remember when Ukraine was of interest?

Speak for yourself. First thing I do every morning is check on the situation in Ukraine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Stairway 2 7]

What gain would any of Japan's enemies have in killing him?

I don't see how the assassination of a former premier anywhere in the world is likely to have a geopolitical effect. It might cause issues in the country in question but that's it.

Unless there is a current, realistic concern that the assassination might have a wider implication then it really does not deserve rolling news.

Guess Franz ferdinand was local news too. Some people are interested in world affairs, like me. You sound a bit American and insular tbh. It's huge news. One of the biggest statesmen of the century killed in the street.

If trump or obama got shot in the street should that be news

[hibsbollah]

Only if it looks like it was anything other than a bampot that did it. And that it could affect the political situation in a way that might affect us.

Just now, there's none of that. It's just rolling news justifying its existence and bigging up the irrelevant, but the new. Remember when Ukraine was of interest?

It’s nothing to do with ‘rolling news’, I’m talking about the place the story had on traditional news bulletins. I get that everyone has different interests and things they want to read about, I just find it weirdly underreported, like a few other things. The global climate emergency seems to be coming home to roost in 2022, 3 million homeless in Bangladesh floods, lots of the Mediterranean looking like the Sahara, India in trouble again. Media not joining the dots. We keep drilling for fossil fuels. Its like we’ve stopped talking about it.

Frankie Walnuts was my favourite character in the Sopranos, loved him as an actor, but does Siricos sad death really warrant being a top headline this morning? :greengrin

[Keith_M]

I was watching the interview with the current Prime Minister and he'd looked genuinely upset. I thouhg the was going to burst into tears at one point.

[Keith_M]

The Guardian had it at the bottom of their page, it was just full on domestic politics this morning.


Not a surprise in the Guardian, surely. They're still wetting their breaks over Bozo getting the heave-ho.

I wouldn't be surprised if they still had half a dozen articles about Jeremy Corbyn being an Anti-Semite.

[Smartie]

I'm surprised the Sri Lankan news is so far down the bill, seems a big deal to me.

I guess the last few comments show that we all have differing expectations regarding what deserves greatest prominence on the news.

And let's face it, it isn't exactly a slow news day. Any of these stories could merit heavy coverage.

[Keith_M]

I'm surprised the Sri Lankan news is so far down the bill, seems a big deal to me.

I guess the last few comments show that we all have differing expectations regarding what deserves greatest prominence on the news.

And let's face it, it isn't exactly a slow news day. Any of these stories could merit heavy coverage.


It was the opening story on Tagesschau last night.

[Mikey]

what is this unnamed group that shinzo Abe was supposedly a member of that so upset his murderer :confused:

You can't help feeling that it's some made up nonsense that gets an airing on Twitter and some bampot is happy to believe it and take things into his own hands.

Similar to Pizzagate I guess.