Japan Police Chief to Resign Over Abe Shooting, Citing 'Fresh Start'

AsiaOne ^ | AUGUST 25, 2022

[nickcarraway]

Japan's National Police Agency chief said on Thursday (Aug 25) he will resign to take responsibility for the murder of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, citing the need for a "fresh start" for the organisation and its security duties.

Itaru Nakamura is the most senior official to step down in connection with Abe's assassination at a campaign rally in the western city of Nara on July 8, where experts have said security was seriously flawed.

"In the process of verifying our new security plan, we have come to realise that our security duties would need a fresh start," Nakamura told a news conference.

[proust]

To quote the Simpsons:

Leonard Nimoy: My job here is done.
Barney: What do you mean? You didn’t do anything.

[snork55]

More honor than a Uvalde police chief!

[chajin]

Common practice: when SHTF, the Big Guy resigns in order to take the shame on himself. Back in samurai=jidai, they would commit seppuku, aka harry carry, but today resigning is usually considered sufficient.

Tangent: one of the strange aspects of WWII was that Hirohito did not abdicate to take the shame for Japan’s defeat and destruction. Any other time in Japanese history, the emperor would abdicate, his son, usually too young to rule himself, would take the throne, and be a figurehead until he grew up. Hirohito, by staying emperor for another 40+ years after the war, showed how egocentric he really was—and MacArthur and Truman let him get away with it.

[SpaceBar]

Professional seppuku of sorts.

[hanamizu]

MacArthur and Truman let him get away with it.

---

Japan and Hirohito could have been justifiably punished much more harshly than they were—although pictures from Japan at the time of surrender show that they had gotten hammered pretty hard. That said, by keeping Hirohito on the throne, MacArthur managed to turn Japan from a fanatic enemy to a strong ally.

Twenty years ago or so I visited Japan. A local showed us around Tokyo. She mad a point of showing us the headquarters where MacArthur ruled Japan from—a building in Tokyo that hadn’t been flattened. For whatever reason, the Japanese had high respect for MacArthur.

The contrast in behavior of the Japanese Police Chief, who was nowhere near the assassination as far as I know, and the now-fired police chief of the Uvalde School Police who was on site as children and teachers bled out is quite revealing.

[Steve Van Doorn]

if the guards had weapons rather then shields Abe would be alive today. There was a one second time frame when they first shot missed and the second shot that killed him went off.

One second is a situation like that is eternity. They wasted their time pulling out briefcase shields rather then stopping the assassin.

[aquila48]

Or any American politician.

[sushiman]

” aka harry carry “

ha ra ( with r pronounced between l & r ) ki ri(long E sound on the Is ) hara kiri - literally cut/slice stomach . How did the west came up with harry carry ? Hehe...

[wetgundog]

hara kiri - literally cut/slice stomach

Harry Carey - Shitcago sports announcer

[chajin]

Dad worked for three years at the Yokosuka naval base in the late 60s, and until the day of her death Mom called it “Yokuh-ska.” That was but one of many mispronunciations that came out of her Irish/Italian larynx—and she became a registered instructor in both Sogetsu ikebana and Kyoto-style doll making, so it wasn’t for lack of culture. I gave up trying to explain hara-kiri the way you did a long time ago :-)

[sushiman]

Let’s have some SA KEE ! Sa kay !

[TangoLimaSierra]

This was not his fault. His body guards are totally at fault. At the first shot all his guards stood and stared at the shooter. A couple seconds later Abe turned to look and was shot. Even then it took a couple seconds for his guards to notice he was down. It was pathetic.

At least there was one guy in the crowd who held his briefcase up to try and block the second shot. His briefcase was hit (and maybe his hand) but it didn't help.

[Honest Nigerian]

A little more honourable than that effduck in Uvalde.