Shinzo Abe: Assassination of Japan’s longest serving PM

Japan's former PM Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving leader, has died in hospital after he was shot at a political campaign event. This incident will send shivers down your spine as the former PM Mr Abe was shot twice while he was giving an election campaign speech in the southern city of Nara, after which he immediately collapsed and was taken to the hospital.

• Shinzo Abe is the former Liberal Democratic Party leader and Japan's longest-serving prime minister, who held office from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020 before resigning because of health issues.
• However, he always remained a public figure & regularly appeared in the media. The 41-year-old suspect in the assassination case of this leader has been arrested and is under police custody.

This is the first-ever assassination of a sitting or former Japanese premier since the time of pre-war militarism in the 1930s. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency had also confirmed that Shinzo Abe had a bullet wound on the right of his neck and suffered heavy bleeding under the left part of his chest. Prior to his death, the current Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, condemned the shooting in the "strongest terms" the world leaders and the Japanese people are traumatized. Going with the flow, let’s take a quick look at the assassinated PMs in India.

Assassinated Prime Ministers in India

It has been nowhere specified whether the assassination of Shinzo Abe was possible due to security failure. However, in India, security cover is offered to recognised personalities whose lives are in jeopardy due to their work or popularity. After assessing the dangers, the security category is separated into five groups and assigned to a person. X, Y, Z, Z+, SPG.

Types of Security cover: Security Cover in India 

1. Special Protection Group (SPG) Security 

• SPG Security is given exclusively to Prime Ministers i.e.; PM Narendra Modi. (at every place) 

• It was also provided to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her family members until 2019.

2. Z+ category Security (Provided by NSG Commandos)

• Z+ is the highest category of security in India provided to people like PM Narendra Modi (state govt provides this security on his state visits), BJP President Amit Shah etc. 

• It has a security cover of 55 personnel comprising 10+ NSG Commandos + Police Personnel.

• Each commando is an expert in martial arts and unarmed combat.

3. Z category Security

• Z category has a security cover of 22 personnel comprising 4 or 6 NSG Commandos + Police Personnel.

• It is provided by the Delhi police or the ITBP, or CRPF personnel.

• Example- Z security is given to Yoga Guru Ramdev etc.

4. Y category Security

• Y category has a security cover of 8 personnel, including 1 or 2 Commandos + Police Personnel.

• It offers two personal security officers (PSOs).

5. X category Security

• X category has a security cover of 2 personnel (No Commandos, Only Armed Police Personnel).

• It is provided by one PSO (personal security officer). 

Conclusion

Under Japan's firearms laws, the only guns that are allowed for sale are shotguns & air rifles; handguns are outlawed. But getting them is a long and complicated process. Nancy Snow, Japan director of the International Security Industrial Council, stated to CNN that "It's not only rare, but it's really culturally unfathomable," Undoubtedly, the incident is actually very strange and saddening as Japanese people couldn’t even imagine having a gun culture like that of the USA.