Japan head police chief resigns over Abe assassination

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Itaru Nakamura, head of Japan's National Police Agency, has resigned, in light of the recent murder of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, telling reporters: "We have decided to shake up our personnel and start afresh with our security duties, and that's why I tendered my resignation to the National Public Safety Commission today". 

'Undeniable' flaws in Japanese security

Nakamura made the announcement at a press conference detailing the findings of an investigation into flaws in how the former Prime Minister was protected, adding, "As we scrutinized and reflected on the incident, we decided to start over and overhaul our security system."

Abe was shot and killed on the campaign trail on July 8 in the Nara region. His suspected killer was detained at the scene and is believed to have targeted Abe because he thought he was linked to the Unification Church, which was founded in South Korea in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon, an anti-communist and self-declared messiah. 

According to Reuters, Abe's suspected killer bore a grudge against the church, alleging it bankrupted his mother and blamed Abe for promoting it.

Abe was Japan's best-known politician and longest-serving PM, served for one year in 2006 and again from 2012 to 2020 until being forced to resign due to illness, but security was comparatively light as he delivered a stump speech on a street in the western region.

Officers said on the day of the attack that they were probing whether there were any problems with security at the campaign event where the assassination took place. 

Local police in the area have already acknowledged "undeniable" flaws in security for the former leader.