Itaru Nakamura said he would step down from his post of firing the former prime minister last month amid concerns about security flaws.
Japan’s national police chief announced that he would resign to take responsibility for the shooting death of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last month, citing the need for a “fresh start” for the organization.
Itaru Nakamura’s announcement on Thursday came as his agency released a report blaming flaws in police protection – from planning to guarding at the scene. – led to Abe Assassination at a campaign speech on July 8, in Nara, western Japan.
“During the verification of our new security plan, we realized that our security missions would need a fresh start,” Nakamura said at a press conference.
“To mark our new beginning with a new security plan, it’s only natural that we’re building a new organization.”
Nakamura did not say when officially resigned. Japanese media reported that his resignation is expected to be approved at Friday’s cabinet meeting.
In Nara, the prefectural police chief Tomoaki Onizuka also expressed his intention to resign from his post to assassinate Abe.
Security error
Japanese officials, including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, have admitted security flaws around Abe’s appearance at the election campaign event.
In a 54-page investigative report released on Thursday, the National Police Agency concluded that the plan to protect the former leader ignored the potential danger from behind and focused only on the risks in the future. the process of moving from the place of the speech to his vehicle.
Inadequacies in the command and communication systems among several key police officials, as well as their attention to areas behind Abe at the campaign site, kept them from paying attention to the move. of the suspect until it is too late.
The gunman, believed to be Tetsuya Yamagami, was arrested at the scene and is currently undergoing psychiatric evaluation. Yamagami told police he targeted Abe because of the former leader’s connection to the Unification Church. Last year, Abe sent a video message to a church-affiliated group, which experts say may have angered the shooter.
The church, founded in South Korea in 1954 and arriving in Japan a decade later, has built close relationships with a range of conservative politicians, many of whom are Democratic Party members. Abe’s Liberal Master.
Since the 1980s, it has faced accusations of problematic religious recruitment and trafficking in Japan, and ties to the ruling party’s church have resulted in favorable ratings for Kishida’s cabinet was low even after a recent disturbance.
But church supporters have accused the Japanese press of defaming it, exposing members of society to discrimination, while police investigate. Abe’s shot still active.
