NHK Party’s Tachibana Sparks Chaos at Shinzo Abe Memorial Speech

On July 8, 2025, a second anniversary memorial event for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was held in front of Kintetsu Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara City.

Three years earlier, on July 8, former Prime Minister Abe was giving a speech in support of a candidate for the House of Councillors election at the same station when Tetsuya Yamagami, the 44-year-old defendant, fired a homemade gun, fatally wounding him.

Yamagami, who is charged with murder and violations of the Firearm and Sword Control Law, is scheduled for his first trial on October 28 of this year. Seven pretrial procedures have been conducted so far. The suspect has stated that he harbored resentment because his mother made large donations to the former Unification Church, which led him to commit the incident.

The NHK Party’s campaign vehicle the scene took on a tense atmosphere

A flower offering stand set up in front of Kintetsu Yamato-Saidaiji Station, the site of the shooting, was visited by many people from the morning, with about 1,700 mourners reportedly visiting over the three days.

The flower stand was installed from July 6 to 8, with members of the Japan Conference Nara branch assigned as staff. Metal detectors were used for inspections, and a designated route to the flower stand was established. At 11:31 a.m., the exact time the incident occurred, a moment of silence was observed, and the site was enveloped in silence.

After the moment of silence ended and the flower offerings proceeded quietly, the NHK Party’s campaign vehicle arrived. Party leader Takashi Tachibana was scheduled to give a street speech near the site.

Originally, the speech was planned to be held at the station rotary, but due to police instructions, the location was changed to a spot in front of a multi-story parking lot adjacent to the commercial facility where the flower stand was set up.

Whenever the campaign vehicle moved, riot police officers on duty at the scene also moved in unison, keeping watch over the vehicle and its surroundings.

As preparations for the speech began, plainclothes police officers joined the riot police around the area, creating a tense atmosphere. Some people who had come to listen to the speech and others who had finished paying their respects began gathering around the speech location.

“Surprisingly decent” / “Are they just seeking publicity at a time like this?” — Reactions from mourners

Around 12:30 PM, a car carrying party leader Tachibana arrived. After beginning with a moment of silence for former Prime Minister Abe, the speech started.

Tachibana said:

“Expressing my condolences in such a flashy manner makes me very nervous and somewhat scared. When I first heard the news on TV, I just hoped his life would be saved. He was such a kind and strong person. That’s how I felt three years ago. At the special Diet session, when he left the main chamber, he came over smiling and kindly said to me, a member of another party, ‘Keep up the good work.’ I truly felt his kindness and strength.

I struggled with whether it was right for me to come here today, but I have pride as a politician to protect the lives of the people and this country. In any case, thank you very much, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Please continue to watch over Japan.”

He spoke solemnly about his feelings for Abe, then left after about 20 minutes.

The loudspeaker volume on the campaign vehicle was lower than usual, and the typical phrase “Destroy NHK” was completely omitted from the speech.

A man in his 40s who listened said, “I came to offer flowers to Abe, but when I found out about the speech, I came to listen. I was surprised; he said some pretty decent things, so my impression of him changed.”

On the other hand, a man in his 50s who finished offering flowers said, “I heard someone speaking in the back and realized it was Tachibana. I thought, is he just trying to gain publicity at a time like this? If he came, he should have just paid respects to Abe and left.”

Meanwhile, in a cemetery in Nara city, the “Ryukonhi” memorial monument for Abe was erected. Prime Minister Ishiba, who was visiting for campaigning, offered flowers and a moment of silence but left after less than 10 minutes to continue support speeches for candidates in the Upper House election in Nara.

Attendees observed a moment of silence at 11:31 AM, the time when the incident occurred. The spot where the speech was being given at the time is now a flower bed.

NHK party leader Tachibana giving a speech.

At the time of the incident on July 8, 2022, the scene was filled with a tense atmosphere.