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Democracy Now!

Assassination: Former Japan PM Shinzo Abe Shot Dead. Will Killing Push Japan Further to the Right?

This clip is from the July 8, 2022 broadcast.

Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has died at the age of 67 after being fatally shot while delivering a speech Friday in the western city of Nara. Abe, the longest-serving prime minister in Japan's history, was campaigning for a parliamentary election Friday and had a security detail. Police arrested a 41-year-old suspect at the crime scene. "Democracy Now!" speaks with Koichi Nakano, professor at Sophia University in Tokyo, who says the attack has "struck at the heart of the democratic process" and could very likely swing the Sunday election toward right-wing forces. Nakano also speaks on the life and legacy of Abe, who he says was a controversial figure in Japan despite being hailed as a hero of liberal democracy abroad.

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