Since news broke this morning of Shinzo Abes shooting, messages have been pouring in from friends and contacts, all asking the same question: how could this have happened in Japan?  今早安倍晋三遭槍殺的新聞爆開後, 各方友人及通聯處的訊息不斷灌注進來, 所有的人都在問相同的問題:在日本怎麼會發生這種事?

I felt much the same myself. Living here you get used to not thinking about violent crime. 我自己也很有同感. 生活在這裏, 你就是不會想到有暴力犯罪的

The identity of the victim only makes the news more shocking. 更震撼的是新聞報出兇嫌的身份. 

Shinzo Abe may no longer be Japans prime minister, but hes still a huge figure in Japanese public life, and probably the most recognisable Japanese politician of the last three decades. 安倍晋三可能不會再是日本的首相, 但他畢竟還是日本社會很重要的公眾人物, 而且還可能是過去三十年來日本最鮮明的政治人物.

Who would want to kill Abe? And why? 什麼樣的人會想要安倍的命? 又為了什麼?

Im trying to think of an equivalent - of another act of political violence that would be similarly shocking to the local population. The one that comes to mind is the shooting of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme in 1986. 

When I say people dont think about violent crime here, Im not exaggerating. 我說這裏的人不會到暴力犯案, 不是在誇大其詞. 

Yes, there are the Yakuza, Japans famously violent organised crime gangs. But most people never come in to contact with them. Even the Yakuza shy away from guns because the penalties for illegal possession are just not worth it.

Owning a gun in Japan is extremely difficult. It requires no criminal record, mandatory training, psychological evaluation, and extensive background checks including police interviewing neighbours.  在日本要擁有槍枝是極其困難的事, 必須是沒有犯罪記錄, 強制訓練, 心理衡鑑, 及包括警方對其鄰居訪談的的背景加強調查. 

Consequently, gun crime virtually doesnt exist here. On average, there are fewer than 10 gun-related deaths in Japan each year. In 2017, there were just three. 因此, 在這邊幾乎是不會有槍枝犯罪的. 平均來看, 日本每年的槍枝死亡案件不到10起, 2017年只出現過3起. 

Little wonder then that much of the attention has been focused on the gunman and the weapon he used.  就是這樣, 槍手及他所使用的武器不怎麼被注意到

Who is he? Where did he get the gun from? Japanese media is reporting that the 41-year-old is a former member of the countrys self-defence forces, the equivalent of an army.

But closer inspection shows he only spent three years in the navy. The gun he used is more curious. Pictures of it lying on the ground after the shooting show what looks like a home-made weapon. Two bits of steel pipe stuck together with black gaffer tape, with some sort of handmade trigger. It looks like something fashioned from plans downloaded off the internet.  更進一步調步調查後, 才知這位前海軍自衛隊員僅當過三年, 他所用的槍更是令人好奇. 照片顯示槍擊後留在地上的武器, 看起來很像是土製槍; 兩根鋼管由黑色膠帶束緊, 扳機也是手工做的. 樣式跟網路下載的形狀很像.