
Japan votes in election billed as 'defense of democracy' as police admit security 'problems' during Shinzo Abe assassination
CNN
Japanese voters headed to the polling stations on Sunday for an election billed as a defense of democracy, just two days after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated while on the campaign trail.
Abe was shot in broad daylight on Friday in the central city of Nara while giving a speech in support of a local candidate for his Liberal Democratic Party, in a killing that has reverberated around the world.
The killing has also raised questions over the lack of security surrounding Abe at the time of the shooting, with the local police chief admitting "problems" and a sense of "guilt" at the death.

One year ago this week, Joe Biden was president. I was in Doha, Qatar, negotiating with Israel and Hamas to finalize a ceasefire and hostage release deal. The incoming Trump team worked closely with us, a rare display of nonpartisanship to free hostages and end a war. It feels like a decade ago. A lot can happen in a year, as 2025 has shown.












