--- title: "Former Japanese Prime Minister Assassinated With “Homemade Shotgun”" description: "Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe has died after being shot with a \"homemade shotgun,\" Bloomberg reports." date: "2022-07-08" modified: "2022-07-08" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/former-japanese-prime-minister-assassinated-homemade-shotgun" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "gun laws" - "gun violence" - "Japan" - "the digest" --- # Former Japanese Prime Minister Assassinated With “Homemade Shotgun” ![Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe has died after being shot with a "homemade shotgun," Bloomberg reports.]() *\Image: STR/JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images\* ## Improvised Firearm Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe has died after being shot with a "homemade shotgun," [*Bloomberg* reports](). It's a highly unusual event — especially considering just how rare gun violence is in Japan. The country has some of the most strict gun laws in the world, requiring potential gun owners to go through extensive background checks and paperwork, including information about the owner's family, and mental health. In other words, it's the polar opposite of the situation back here in the US, where firearms can be bought at Walmart in some states, without even [needing to register them]() or get a permit. The numbers speak for themselves: there were [more than four firearm homicides]() per 100,000 people in 2019. Japan had almost none. In 2018, when America had [39,740]() gun violence-related deaths, Japan had [8](). ## Two Tubes To that end: The assassin may have circumvented Japan's strict gun laws by building their own shotgun. According to *Bloomberg*, the suspect held a device made out of two tubes wrapped together with black tape, an improvised firearm — presumably created to escape detection. "This actually shows the extent that Japan gun laws are working," Daniel Foote, a professor at the University of Tokyo specializing in law and society, told *Bloomberg*. "Very few people have the ability to create such a weapon." ## Loose Security According to experts, the rarity of the event may have actually contributed to the fact that it was relatively easy to assassinate Abe. "Security was obviously too loose and this will prompt a tightening up of security, especially at open-air speeches, given we’re in the middle of elections," Hiroshima Shudo University criminal law professor William Cleary told the broadcaster. The last time a Japanese prime minster was killed [was in 1932](), when Tsuyoshi Inukai was famously stabbed during his tenure by Navy staff after being accused of provoking war with the US. Abe was seen by some as a polarizing figure, as [*The Washington Post* reports](), pushing Japan to expand its military defenses during his tenure. He resigned back in 2020 due to chronic ulcreative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease. It's an unfortunate situation, given the fact that even with some of the strictest gun laws, people will find ways to gain access to illegal firearms. Especially with the [rise of 3D-printed guns]() — and [even rifles]() — we're bound to hear about more incidents like this one. **READ MORE:** [Shooting of Japan’s Ex-Leader Shocks Nation Where Guns Are Rare]() \[*Bloomberg*\] **More on gun laws:** *[Drama Engulfs Plan to Zap School Shooters With Taser-Toting Drones]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()