It has been two weeks since the incident in which former Prime Minister Abe was shot dead during a speech in Nara City in 22 days.
According to interviews with investigators, the Nara District Public Prosecutor's Office has decided to conduct a mental assessment to examine the criminal liability of the suspect, based on the statements made so far.
On the 8th of this month, police arrested Tetsuya Yamagami (41), an unemployed person living in Nara City, on suspicion of murder in a case where former Prime Minister Abe, who was giving a speech in Nara City, was shot dead by a gun. I'm investigating.
According to the investigation so far, police believe that his mother caused a grudge against the "Unification Church of the World Peace" and the former Unification Church, which had made a large amount of donations.
Although he had been aiming for the president of the group for a long time, he did not have the opportunity to attack, so it seems that the group and former Prime Minister Abe thought that they had a close relationship and targeted it.
It is believed that the suspect prepared a handmade gun and caused the case in a planned manner, but the Nara District Prosecutor's Office has decided to conduct a mental assessment to investigate whether criminal liability can be held based on the statements made so far. I found out by interviewing the investigators.
If the court is requested to "detain the appraisal" and it is approved, a psychological appraisal will be conducted by an expert, and the Nara District Prosecutor's Office will decide whether to prosecute based on the results.
Current status of regulations on chemical substances used as raw materials for explosives
In this case, Yamagami stated that he made gunpowder by mixing materials purchased on the Internet, and the tools that he believed to have been used to make gunpowder were confiscated from his home.
Measures have been taken in the past regarding the sale of chemical substances that are the raw materials for explosives.
In 2003, after the simultaneous terrorist attacks in the United States, the Police Agency and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and others about seven chemical substances that are the raw materials
for
explosives
. We are requesting
distributors to refrain from selling or to report
.
In 2008, a similar request was made for sales on the Internet, and in 2009, "potassium nitrate" was added and the target was expanded to 11 items.
According to the National Police Agency, tens of thousands of reports regarding large-scale purchases are received annually, and in some cases it was possible to prevent the occurrence of incidents, but reports to the police are left to the discretion of the seller. The reality is that it is being done.
Professor Atsumi Miyake of Yokohama National University's Institute of Advanced Sciences, who is familiar with the safety management of chemicals and dangerous substances, said, "Chemicals and chemical products are naturally made for the sake of society and for people. It should not be used for any other purpose, but it is difficult to limit them uniformly, so discussions will be needed in the future. "
On top of that, "I think it is one direction to clarify the information on the selling side and the purchasing side, such as identity verification, purchase purpose, quantity, etc. so that the distribution channel can be properly tracked. If so, it will be debated whether it will be in the form of regulation or the obligation to make efforts. "
At the meeting on the 12th of this month, the National Police Agency's Secretary of State Nakamura said, "It is important to prevent the acquisition of chemical substances that can be the raw materials for explosives. I want to put it into practice. "