Assassination of Shinzo Abe: The War Party’s Show of Force?

Astute observers see in the assassination on July 8 of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a dangerous show of force by the war party. The message is clear: any leader or nation that breaks ranks on the anti-Russia and anti-China policy will suffer the consequences.

Shinzo Abe was the most powerful political leader in Japan, and among the strongest in the G-7, and remained influential after his early retirement in 2020 for health reasons. His elimination leaves a big void not only in Japanese politics, but internationally.

The information on the actual assassin released by the police as of this writing is not substantive. What must be investigated is the intention of those behind the act, and its implications for the current NATO rush to war with Russia and China. Like earlier assassinations at critical junctures in history (Alfred Herrhausen, Aldo Moro, John Kennedy, and Martin Luther King come to mind), the idea of a “lone assassin” is hardly credible, and the cui bono has always led to the British Empire.

The obvious facts defining the event are that Shinzo Abe’s most important mission throughout his term, from 2012-2020 (after serving earlier for a year in 2006-07) was to bring about a resolution to the conflict with Russia, dating from World War II, over the Northern Islands, and finally sign a peace treaty. It appeared virtually certain that Vladimir Putin and Abe would reach such an agreement, until the Maidan coup in Ukraine in 2014 and the launching of the U.S./U.K. war policy against Russia.

A Japanese former official close to the leadership told EIR about a 2014 dinner with Barack Obama and his National Security Advisor Susan Rice during a visit to Japan. The affair was “nightmarish” for the Japanese PM, due to the massive pressure she exerted on him to join in the sanctions on Russia. While he partially gave in and imposed some (largely meaningless) sanctions, it also put a stop to the negotiations with Putin. Abe was said to despise Susan Rice afterward.

When Donald Trump was elected, and stated his intention to establish friendly relations with Russia, Abe and Putin reopened their negotiations. But “Russiagate” soon emerged, Trump fell into the trap of punishing Moscow on “false flag” excuses, and the Abe-Putin efforts again fell apart.

At 67, Abe was considered a young man in the Japanese political culture, and might very well have returned to the premiership. In any case, former prime ministers of the Liberal Democratic party generally remain influential for their entire lives.

The current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has gone full flight into backing the hysteria against Russia, even attending the NATO Summit last month in Spain — a first for a Japanese head of government. It will cost the Japanese economy dearly, as it threatens the large investments it has in Russian oil and gas and more. In addition, Abe’s plan for a major Japanese role in the development in the Russian Far East is off the table.