Why Heinous Crimes Happen in Japan and We Need More Robust Safety Net

Former PM Abe’s assassination revealed the threat of “the invincible”

The assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on July 8 shocked Japan. First and foremost, gun violence is almost nonexistent in this country — in all of 2021, Japan witnessed only one death from gun-related homicide.

The dysfunction of Abe’s security guards also upset the Japanese people. Secret Service and local police were at the scene, but the shooter fired two times and no one stopped him. Abe died from blood loss and the severe injuries caused by the shots.

The arrested man looked like an ordinary guy except for the homemade gun in his hands. Everything was unprecedented, and his normal look made the assassination's impact more serious. What drove him to this despicable act?

The Motive of the Shooter and “the Invincible”

According to Japanese media, the man arrested, Tetsuya Yamagami, is a 41-year-old resident of Nara City. He claimed he had grievances with the former PM.

He also confessed that his mother’s obsession with a religious organization and her large donation to it ruined their family life. (Though his academic history hasn’t been confirmed yet, it appears he dropped out from a top-level university. Also, his brother allegedly committed suicide.) Yamagami is reported to have murdered Abe for his connection to this organization.

Although major media outlets don’t disclose the name, some sources report the religious organization is the Unification Church, colloquially known in the US as “the Moonies,” which was founded in South Korea and brought to Japan with the support of Abe’s grandfather Nobusuke Kishi.

After this incident, Japanese citizens reacted with shock and prayers on social media. When this criminal’s profile came out, many stated that the assailant might have been “muteki no hito.”

The internet slang, muteki no hito (無敵の人), means an invincible person. They’re invincible not because they’re superheroes but the opposite — they have nothing to lose. No full-time job; no social credibility.

The term became common in the 2010s, when Hiroyuki Nishimura, the founder of 2channel (the Japanese forerunner of 4chan), started using it to describe people who are unmarried, unemployed or irregular employees, and hold a strong sense of despair and discontent with society.

Nishimura has repeatedly mentioned the potential risks of heinous crimes that these invincible might cause, saying: “Many of the Japanese who feel marginalized by society have chosen to commit suicide, but more people are choosing to kill others. It’s time to face these people who have been ignored.”

Common Characteristics Amid Declining Violent Crime

In Japan, the number of atrocious crimes such as murder has been declining. The number of major crimes including murder, robbery, arson, and sexual assault keeps shrinking from 5,130 cases in 2016 to 4,444 in 2020.

However, one report by the Ministry of Justice in 2013 warns that there are common characteristics in the perpetrators of indiscriminate massacres.

The report analyzed 52 criminals who committed random murders. 51 were male and 1 was female, and 48 were unemployed or working as non-regular workers when they committed crimes. 40 were earning no income or less than ¥100,000 ($734) per month.

It also revealed they were isolated. 50 out of 52 were unmarried or divorced, and 45 were not in a relationship. Only 3 answered they had a close friend.

Although Abe’s assassination is not entirely random, Yamagami has similar characteristics to these criminals. He was unemployed after working temporary jobs and had an unmarried, lone-wolf lifestyle.

Of course, this report doesn’t conclude that people who have these characteristics are dangerous. Many people are trying hard to get out of unstable financial situations and improve their lives. Some enjoy their free lifestyle outside the corporate world and serious relationships.

Also, these environments are often not their fault. People cannot choose when and where to be born. Anyone can experience an unforeseen accident or bankruptcy of their employer, especially amid this pandemic.

Political Apathy Caused by the Income Gap

The average annual income of the Japanese has been declining over the past decades, from ¥4,710,970 ($35k) in 1991 to ¥4,453,314 ($33k) in 2021 amid inflation worries. Even the top 1% of Japanese employees earn a relatively modest ¥15,000,000 ($110k) or more.

Today, people in their 40s and early 50s are called Lost Generation, rosjene (ロスジェネ) for short. They started working after the economic bubble burst. When they graduated from college, one in two couldn’t find a full-time job and landed non-regular employment.

The older Bubble Generation never struggled to find full-time jobs. In the current job environment with the seniority system, the Lost Generation is frustrated to see underperforming managers receive higher incomes than them only because the members of the Bubble Generation are older.

Today, roughly 31% of this Lost Generation (45 to 54 years old) work as non-full-time employees, which nudges them into the spectrum of vulnerability.

On the other hand, Japanese politicians are usually from well-off families. In addition, their solid base of supporters enables them to raise political funds easily. The current PM Fumio Kishida raised ¥156.53 million ($1.1 million) in 2020.

For most Japanese people, politicians represent blueblood. They’re born to be rich and follow in their family’s footsteps. There’s no American dream in this country.

Do you still assume the Japanese government serves people conscientiously? Unfortunately, not really.

During this pandemic, the government allocated ¥12 trillion ($88 billion) in extra budget for COVID care. However, last April, the Nikkei Shimbun revealed that the government didn’t explain how they spent over 90% of it, ¥11 trillion ($80 billion); nobody knows how much was handed out to local municipalities and how many vaccines it bought from which providers.

Japanese people are living paycheck to paycheck, while politicians raise funds at parties and spend hard-earned tax money like water. And the ruling Liberal Democratic Party has always been too influential in Japan. This partly explains people’s apathy to politics and low voter turnout, which is usually slightly over 50% in the last few years.

Japan Needs Inclusiveness and a Better Social Safety Net

Due to this financial struggle, fewer and fewer people are getting married in Japan. The lifetime unmarried rate of men was only 2.6 % in 1980, but it ballooned to 25.7% in 2020—and the women’s rate also increased from 4.5% to 16.4%.

Unmarried men who work as nonregular employees are no longer rare in Japan. However, this patriarchal society doesn’t allow them to say, “This is my life.” The exemplary life is always described as a married couple with two children. Older generations—parents and superiors at work—expect them to spend the “normal” life with family just like them, not understanding younger generations’ struggles.

This Lost Generation needs compassion and financial assistance. It could be a universal basic income or a lower consumption tax. Since many Japanese people try to find solace on the internet, providing access to therapists or restricting hate speech on social media might help as well.

Employers and temporary employment agencies still undervalue the importance of managing employees’ mental health. In Japan, business owners who hire 50 or more employees have to provide a stress check every year. But temporary staff sent to small businesses don’t take it, and agencies don’t need to offer the test if the workers’ contract is shorter than a year or they work part-time.

It’s essential for the Japanese government to spread the message that mental health matters. And everyone can be different and there’s no single model for a successful life. However, this will take time since many politicians are still against same-sex marriage and the lifestyle of singles and DINKs even today.

No one shouldn’t rely on violence to take revenge against society. Still, former PM Abe’s assassination showed the darkest aspect of this country—some people cannot live the life they seek no matter how hard they try, and there’s not a sufficient support system in this society for people who need help.

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