SHINZO ABE OF JAPAN ASSASSINATED

      From Worldometer (new  COVID-19 deaths yesterday):

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Aug    12      1504     6556        1242        835     130

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June    1        287    10637         2346      3205      95

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Aug     4         656    10120        1118        532      423 

Sept   22      2228      9326          839        279     124

Oct      6       2102      8255          543       315       59

Nov    3        1436      7830         186        458       23

Dec     1       1633      8475          266        477       28

Jan     7        2025      6729         148         285     140

Feb     2        2990   12012          946        991      175

Mar     2        1778     7756          335         173       28 

Apr     1          439      4056         290          52        12

May    5          225      2404         151            ?        64 

June    2         216      1413         130          10        31 

           9          195      1526         148          24        24 

         15          305      1382         289          11        26

         22          390      1577         176          38        57

         30          228      1517         274          23        29 

July    6           316      1627         335          35        12

          7           320       1958         297          38         9

Summary:  Still a pandemic.

In the 246 years of U.S. history four sitting presidents were shot to death, John F. Kennedy in 1963 being the last.  Apparently, no former president has been killed by gunfire.

Former prime minister of Japan, 67-year old Shinzo Abe, was shot to death yesterday by a homemade weapon.  Turns out that the assassination of prominent leaders in Japan has been commonplace:

• Prime Minister Tsuyoshi Inukai in 1932 was shot by 11 Navy officers in 1932 at his PM residence.  Interesting that the perpetrators also wanted to kill visiting Charlie Chaplin, who was a guest of Inukai, to provoke a war with the U.S.  However, Chaplin had  gone to a sumo match with the PM's son and survived. 
• 
  Japan's history is filled with assassination attempts, as just in the 1920's and 1930's, sitting and former ministers Kei Hara, Osachi Hamaguchi, Korekiyo Takahashi and Saito Makoto also were assassinated.  In 1909, the first Prime Minister of Japan, Hirobumi Ito, was shot and killed by a Korean nationalist in China.  There were also previous assassinations by knife and sword in Japan going back to those samurai days, for, after all, the first leader came before the year 700. and the first shogun was Minamoto Yorimoto (right) from 1192.

But gun crimes are rare in Japan today, for access to these weapons is difficult.  Even the Yakuza tend to avoid them.  In 2018 there were 9 deaths in Japan from firearms.  USA?  39,740, or 109/day!  Compare that to 44 gun-related deaths in Japan over the past 8 years.  In other words, the U.S. has more more than 7000 times the number of firearm deaths per day than Japan.

A colorful side story is that of Nobusuke Kishi, Abe's grandfather, who died at the age of 91:

• Was born Nobusuke Sato in 1896 of a once illustrious samurai family.
• His older brother Ichiro Sato became a vice admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, while his younger brother Eisaku Sato became a prime minister.

• As Nobusuke's uncle Nobumasa Kishi had no male heir, Nobusuke was adopted.

• Passed through Tokyo University, where he graduated from the Faculty of Law, the traditional path to lead the country.
• Spent two years in 1926-7 traveling the world, primarily the U.S., Germany and the Soviet Union.
• Touted the policies of Nazi Germany, and is known as the Monster of the Showa Era for his actions against China
• Used Yakuza thugs to keep order and described himself as a playboy of the Eastern World.
• Served under Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, and co-signed the declaration of war against the United States on 7 December 1941.
• 
  Was imprisoned as a Class A war criminal for three years, but not charged, and instead released because he was considered to be the best person to lead a post-war Japan.
• He is credited with the formation of the omnipresent Liberal Democratic Party, which has been dominant since 1955.
• Was Prime Minister of Japan from 1957-1960.

I might finally add that Tropical Storm Bonnie in the Gulf of Mexico did cross into the Pacific, and became Hurricane Bonnie, heading for Hawaii.  However, she is now weakening.

I close with a video about Japan:

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