Japan (AP) — To accept responsibility for the tragic shooting of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a campaign address last month, Japan's national police chief announced his resignation on Thursday.Itaru Nakamura, the head of the National Police Agency, made the revelation as his organization published a report on how it failed to save Abe's life on July 8 when he was assassinated in Nara, western Japan.According to the police report, Abe's police protection had gaps that allowed the assailant to shoot him from behind.
Nakamura stated that he takes the passing of the former prime minister seriously and that he had earlier Thursday tendered his resignation to the National Public Safety Commission.
At a press conference when he announced his resignation, Nakamura said, "We need to create a new system in order to fundamentally review guarding and never to let this happen."
When his resignation would be formal was not specified by Nakamura. His resignation is anticipated to be confirmed at Friday's Cabinet meeting, according to Japanese media.Tetsuya Yamagami, the alleged shooter, was detained on the spot and will undergo psychiatric testing through the end of November. According to Yamagami, he chose Abe as his target because of the former leader's affiliation with the Unification Church, which he detested.
Last year, Abe sent a video message to a group connected to the church, which experts believe would have enraged the shooting suspect.
On the 49th day since his murder, Abe's family paid respect to him in a private Buddhist ritual on Thursday.
Prefectural police chief Tomoaki Onizuka of Nara also announced his desire to resign in response to Abe's murder.
The church, which was established in South Korea in 1954 and moved to Japan ten years later, has developed strong relationships with a number of conservative MPs, many of whom are members of Prime Minister Abe's Liberal Democratic Party due to their common opposition to communism.
Even with its recent shift, the approval ratings for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Cabinet have plummeted as a result of the ruling party's church ties. Since the 1980s, the church in Japan has been accused of improper recruiting and religious sales.
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