Donald Trump and Abe Shinzo: The US and Japan’s Very Different Political Assassination Experiences

Few in Washington are drawing parallels between the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump – now officially the Republican nominee for president – in July 2024 and the killing of former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo in July 2022. Granted, the differences between the two incidents are striking – not least the fact that Trump came through the ordeal relatively unscathed physically, whereas Abe passed away hours after being shot.

Still, the biggest divide between the gunfire aimed at the two former leaders at campaign rallies is how the United States and Japan are moving forward since the events.

In Japan, Abe’s death led to an unexpected wave of public sympathy for the gunman, who was portrayed as a victim of circumstances himself. Yamagami Tetsuya, by his own account, was motivated to turn to violence as a last resort to raise awareness about the exploitative nature of the Unification Church. As a member of the church, Yamagami’s mother had squandered the family’s finances to tithe to the organization, which in turn had been active in supporting Japan’s political leadership.

Abe’s assassination certainly succeeded in achieving Yamagami’s objective of raising awareness about the relationship between the Unification Church and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

So while the gunning down of Japan’s longest-serving prime minister rattled a country where gun violence is a rare occurrence, the biggest consequence of Abe’s death has been a national reassessment of relations between special interests groups, including religious organizations, and political parties. Not only has this reckoning led to the rapid decline of the Unification Church, but it has made campaign finance reform the biggest challenge for the LDP’s future.

In sharp contrast to Japan’s reality of shootings being rare occurrences, gun violence in the United States is all too common. Predictably, the attempt on Trump’s life has not led to any significant shift in the stalemate over gun control in the United States. Mass shootings in the U.S. have always led to public debate about what can be done to stop similar incidents from happening again, but they have usually failed to make any significant change in gun ownership and accessibility. Meanwhile, despite the nearly successful attempt on his life, Trump has not spearheaded efforts to press for efforts to end gun violence or to press for further gun control.

Instead, the Trump assassination attempt has led to a greater awareness of the extremism and vitriol between supporters of the Republican and Democratic parties. The danger of blind hatred and unwillingness to listen to those with opposing views has been highlighted by Republicans and Democrats alike.

Certainly, there has been begrudging respect, even from his most ardent opponents, for Trump’s ability to remain unshaken despite the all-too-close call upon his life. Moreover, Trump’s call for greater national unity at the Republican National Convention also was seen as a tacit acknowledgement of his hitherto traditional campaign tactic of pitting opposing sides against one another.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden cautioned against resorting to violence as the political divide within the United States intensifies, and instead called for voters to express their views through the ballot. Despite such calls, however, there is growing concern about the divide within the U.S. electorate, which is becoming verbally extreme, if not actually pushing for violent action.

As the U.S. presidential election draws nearer, there is greater international focus on how the United States is promoting policy debate and commitment to democratic values in practice. Simply ensuring that further violence is averted is not easy, and yet it is not enough to enhance the allure of U.S. democracy.

At a time when the health and effectiveness of democratic successes is increasingly called into question, the world is watching every twist and turn in the U.S. presidential race. The success of the U.S. election cycle will hinge on ensuring that there is a commitment on both sides of the political aisle to tolerate and respect different perspectives.