The issue of gun violence in Japan and beyond
[객원 에디터 3기 / 한동민 기자 ] An abrupt assasination during which former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was killed by a bullet brought about rattling impacts on the country’s political scene.
Last Friday, the news of Abe’s passing shocked Japan’s population, seeing that such incidences are rare in Japan and leading some to characterize it as “not Japanese.” Indeed,
Indeed, violent deaths by firearm per 100,000 population is only 0.03 in Japan, which stands in stark contrast to that of the United States. Furthermore, the gun death rate in Japan is actually lower than that of South Korea by a significant margin.
Considering that Japan is a country with almost no gun usage, it is crucial for prosecutors to investigate the origins of this gun. Japanese police officials have reported that the perpetrator, Tetsuya Yamagami, carefully planned and made a homemade gun using a 3-D printer according to Youtube tutorials. It was also found that multiple guns were made to be tested before the assasination. 3-D printed guns have been made since 2020 at costs of less than $500 within 2 weeks. It is certainly an easy procedurment as even underaged people could use them compared to the traditional, ‘legal’ way, where one would need to first fullfill various stringent requirements.
The rise of social media has also propelled the spread of rumors and unrealistic views of other people’s lives. This is potentially a fundamental driver to Yamagami’s motivation in printing an illegal gun to assasinate Abe.
Following Abe’s death, it is perhaps time to limit the ability of social medias to circulate provacative videos in order to significantly lower crime rates across the globe. Furthermore, the usage of guns must be taken seriously by governments worldwide give that even Japan, a country that rarely witnesses gun violence, was rattled by the unexpected shooting. Countries in Asia, as well as the United States, should actively engage in discourse on how to address the issue of gun violence to prevent further innocent casualities.
Sources: New York Times, The Japan Times, News 18, BBC
