shinzo abe assassinated

Grief & controversy in Japan for Shinzo Abe's state funeral

Grief & controversy in Japan for Shinzo Abe's state funeral

Ian Bremmer reports from Tokyo, Japan, following the state funeral of Shinzo Abe, the prime minister who was assassinated some 80 days ago. An astonishing couple of weeks for the world: early last week, the funeral for Queen Elizabeth, by far the most important figure for the United Kingdom in the post-war period. Then the United Nations General Assembly, where the entire world comes together in New York, and now the first state funeral held in Japan in 55 years for Abe Shinzo, who is by far the most important figure in Japan in the post-war period.

Shinzo Abe’s goal of militarization & PM Kishida’s “golden opportunity” to reform Japan

GZERO World Clips

Shinzo Abe’s goal of militarization & PM Kishida’s “golden opportunity” to reform Japan

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has vowed to continue where his ex-boss, the late Shinzo Abe, left off. And he just got the parliamentary majority he needs to get big things done — including, perhaps, tweaking the constitution like Abe long dreamed of. "Kishida now [has a] golden opportunity," Tomohiko Taniguchi, Abe's former adviser and close friend, tells Ian Bremmer on GZERO World.

Assassinated! Japan’s grief & how Shinzo Abe’s goals will shape Asia

GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

Assassinated! Japan’s grief & how Shinzo Abe’s goals will shape Asia

How will the shocking assassination of Shinzo Abe, Japan's former and longest-serving prime minister, reshape the country and the broader region? And will it lead to realizing Abe's unfulfilled dream of amending Japan's postwar pacifist constitution? On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer speaks to longtime Abe adviser Tomohiko Taniguchi, who shares how he felt when he found out his close friend had died.

Japan’s history of political assassinations

GZERO World Clips

Japan’s history of political assassinations

The shocking assassination a week ago of former Prime Minister Shinzo has rattled Japan, where such acts of political violence are now extremely rare — but were once common. In 1932, the head of government was killed by army cadets in an attempted coup. In 1960, Abe's own grandfather, also then-PM, survived a knife attack. Japan's last high-profile assassination occurred that same year, when a socialist politician was stabbed to death on national television.

How Shinzo Abe's positive legacy could shape Japan's future

GZERO World Clips

How Shinzo Abe's positive legacy could shape Japan's future

How will the shocking murder of former PM Shinzo Abe affect Japan moving forward? In past national tragedies, especially the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, longtime Abe adviser and close friend Tomohiko Taniguchi says that the "outpouring of sympathies and empathies from abroad helped a lot." This time, he tells Ian Bremmer on GZERO World, everyone has urged Japan to carry on — and that's what the nation is doing right now.

Mourning, disbelief & anger at the death of Japan’s Shinzo Abe

GZERO World Clips

Mourning, disbelief & anger at the death of Japan’s Shinzo Abe

When Tomohiko Taniguchi learned that former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe had been killed, he felt many things, but first his thoughts turned to the man who took the life of his ex-boss and mentor. "I was filled with a lot of but different emotions all at the same time," he tells Ian Bremmer on GZERO World. "Disbelief, grief, [but] the strongest emotion, of course, was anger. Still, Taniguchi believes it was an isolated incident that doesn't indicate we're the tip of an iceberg of political violence to come for Japan.

Shinzo Abe's legacy and Japan's future

GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast

Podcast: As Japan reels: examining Shinzo Abe’s legacy & Japan’s future with his friend and adviser

Listen: Japan is reeling from the shocking assassination of Shinzo Abe, Japan's former and longest-serving prime minister. On the GZERO World podcast, Ian Bremmer speaks to longtime Abe adviser Tomohiko Taniguchi, who discusses the impact of Abe's legacy on the country and the broader region. Will Abe's unfulfilled dream of amending Japan's postwar pacifist constitution now be realized?

Japan’s “JFK” moment: Shinzo Abe assassinated

Japan’s “JFK” moment: Shinzo Abe assassinated

Ian Bremmer's Quick Take: I'm very sad to be talking about this shocking tragedy in one of the world's most stable democracies, the assassination of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Gun violence in a country that experiences virtually none of it. The assassination of the country's longest serving prime minister. It is a JFK moment for Japan, maybe even bigger. I've known Prime Minister Abe for well over a decade. Without question, one of the most popular leaders I've ever encountered from Japan.