90-member task force to probe Shinzo Abe's murder case

TOKYO: Police in Japan have said that a 90-member task force will be set up to investigate the murder case of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who died after being shot at while addressing an election campaign rally in Nara city.

The announcement was made late Friday night by the Nara prefectural police at a press conference, reports state broadcaster NHK.

The police said that they will review the security arrangement that had been in place while Abe was delivering his speech on Friday morning near the Yamatosaidaiji Station in Nara.

Officials also admitted that they had learned about the late leader's visit to Nara only the previous evening.

Meanwhile, the 41-year-old suspect Yamagami Tetsuya, who was arrested at the scene, has admitted to shooting Abe and explained that he had a grudge against a "certain organisation", which he believed the former Prime Minister was involved with.

Yamagami told the police that his mother was involved in the organisation and had donated a lot of money, which caused serious problems for his family.

According to the police, the suspect used a handmade gun that measured about 40 cm long, reports NHK.

The police also carried a search operation at Yamagami's residence from where they seized several handmade metal and wooden guns, which also resembled the one used in the attack.

They also confiscated the suspect's belongings, including a shoulder bag, smartphone and wallet.

The suspect has said that he was currently unemployed and had earlier served with the Self-Defense Forces for three years until 2005.

Abe was Japan's longest-serving Prime Minister and his death at the age of 67 has profoundly shocked a country where gun crime is very rare.

He suffered two bullet wounds to his neck and damage to his heart during the attack.

According to the BBC, a hearse carrying Abe's body was seen leaving the hospital in Nara at around 6 a.m. on Saturday to return to his home in Tokyo.