Explained: Shinzo Abe’s assassination and 6 other violent crimes that stunned Japan

For a country like Japan, which has some of the world’s toughest gun laws and has a low murder rate, the assassination of its former prime minister Shinzo Abe came as a shock.

Nevertheless, this isn't the first time the country has been witness to violent attacks.

Let's take a closer look at some previous instances:

December, 2021: Fire in clinic at Osaka

A fire that broke out in a mental health clinic in Japan’s Osaka left as many as 24 people dead. It was suspected that a 61-year-old man, who was a former patient at the clinic, started the fire.

According to Kyodo News, the man had placed a paper bag which contained inflammable liquid beside a container which he then kicked over to start the fire.

Public broadcaster NHK said that among the dead, 14 were men and 10 were women.

Fuji TV reported that most of those who had died were believed to have suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning.

November, 2021: Halloween train attack

As many as 17 people were killed by a 24-year-old man dressed in a Joker costume on a Tokyo train line.

The victims were headed for Halloween parties around the city when the suspect sprayed a clear liquid around the carriage and set it on fire, according to a BBC report. The man also allegedly stabbed a passenger in the train.

The BBC report also stated that the suspect told authorities that he wanted to kill people so he could be sentenced to death.

2019: Kyoto Animation arson

Forty-one-year-old Shinji Aoba broke into the Kyoto animation studio and poured petrol in the building before setting it on fire.

The fire that killed as many as 36, most of whom were young staff, shocked the global anime industry, according to a report on AFP.

Aoaba was later charged with murder later.

According to a BBC report, police also found knives at the scene.

Witnesses recalled hearing a loud explosion before the fire engulfed the building.

Japanese media reports added that Aoaba had purchased 40 litres of petrol from a nearby gas station. Two of the containers were later found at the crime scene.

2016: Sagamihara stabbings

Nineteen people with disabilities were stabbed to death by a 26-year-old man at a care home in Sagamihara.

According to a report on The Guardian, the suspect Satoshi Uematsu was seen carrying a bag full of knives and other sharp objects before he surrendered himself to the police. He was later sentenced to death.

The attack also left 26 other critically injured.

According to a report on AFP, Satoshi’s lawyers argued that he suffered from a “mental disorder” which was linked to substance abuse.

2007: Nagasaki mayor shooting

Nagasaki’s mayor Iccho Ito was shot twice outside a train station where he was campaigning for re-election.

According to The Guardian, Tetsuya Shiroo, a senior member of Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan’s largest organised crime syndicate, was arrested for shooting the mayor using a handgun with an intent to kill.

1995: Cult gas attack

Members of the cult Aum Shinrikyo, on 20 March released toxic sarin gas in Tokyo’s subway network, which left 13 people dead and a thousand others sick.

According to AFP, the chemical was released in liquid form at five locations during rush hour which left commuters struggling to breathe.

As the packages containing the liquid leaked, passengers started began feeling a sting in their eyes, as per a BBC report.

All the 13 cult members including its leader Shoko Asahara were tried and put to death for committing the crime.

With inputs from agencies

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