Shinzo Abe's death: Tokyo witnessed zero gun violence incidents in 2021, Japan had just 10

Former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe was assassinated on July 8 with a homemade gun, however, it's important to note that Tokyo had no gun violence-related event in 2021 and Japan had just 10. There is a valley of a difference between the ratio of people and gun ownership between Japan, USA and UK. According to GunPolicy.org, in Japan the total number of guns owned by civilians is 3,10,400 or 0.25 per 100 people, which is the lowest among G-7 countries; compared to USA, where the ratio is 120 guns per 100 people or the total numbers of guns, reaching a massive 393 million. In UK, it is 3.2 million or 5 per 100 people. 

Shootings uncommon in the island nation 

In Japan, incidents of gun violence are rare but not unheard of. In 2021, 10 people were victims to gun-related incidents, according to the National Police Agency. The negligible presence of gun violence can be attributed to the strict laws put in place for obtaining licence for handguns or rifles, even for sports or hunting requirements. There is an intense background verification process for acquiring a gun licence in the country, wherein only the police can usually be seen armed with handguns.  

Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe assassinated on road while delivering an election campaign speech

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Japan's longest-serving PM, died on Friday after he was shot while campaigning for a parliamentary election, shocking a country in which political violence is rare and guns are tightly controlled. A man opened fire on Abe, 67, from behind with an apparently homemade gun as he spoke at a drab traffic island in the western city of Nara, Japanese media reported.

Immediately after the shooting, media reports suggest he was found bleeding and suffered from a cardiopulmonary arrest. He succumbed, while being airlifted to the Nara Medical University Hospital in Kashihara city. 

Image: AP