Japan Police Chief Resigns Over Abe Assassination

Japan Police Chief Resigns Over Abe Assassination
National Police Agency Chief Itaru Nakamura speaks during a press conference at the National Police Agency in Tokyo on Aug. 25, 2022. Kyodo News via AP
The Associated Press
Updated:

TOKYO—Japan’s national police chief said Thursday he will resign to take responsibility over shortfalls in security that an investigation by his own agency showed did not adequately safeguard former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe from a fatal shooting of at a campaign speech last month.

National Police Agency Chief Itaru Nakamura’s announcement came as his agency released a report blaming flaws in police protection—from planning to guarding at the scene—that led to Abe’s assassination July 8 in Nara in western Japan.