NPR Denigrates Slain Shinzo Abe As “Divisive Arch Conservative”

Authored by Paul Joseph Watson via Summit News,

NPR reacted to the shocking assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe by denigrating him as a “divisive arch conservative” and an “ultranationalist.”

FRANCK ROBICHON via Getty Images

Abe was shot dead by 41-year-old gunman Yamagami Tetsuya while giving a speech at a campaign rally in the western city of Nara.

Tetsuya used a homemade weapon to shoot Abe twice. The former president died after sustaining two deep neck wounds that damaged an artery.

Government-funded NPR reacted to the news by referring to Abe as a “divisive arch conservative,” a description many found derogatory.

Following the assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, @NPR called him a “divisive arch-conservative.” pic.twitter.com/cD2SXpyxri

— Andy Ngô 🏳️‍🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) July 8, 2022

After receiving some backlash on Twitter, NPR deleted their original tweet, before posting a new one that described the Japanese leader as an “ultranationalist.”

NPR deleted its first tweet calling Shinzo Abe a “divisive arch conservative” and then posted this tweet calling him an “ultranationalist.” As if he were Tojo or Itagaki and not the four time elected leader of a modern democracy. May he rest in peace. https://t.co/TtxukySoAr

— David Shafer (@DavidShafer) July 8, 2022

If you are vaguely rightwing the press will just cycle through euphemisms for Nazi when you die

— Auron MacIntyre (@AuronMacintyre) July 8, 2022

Some people compared the media’s treatment of Abe to their glowing eulogy of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who the Washington Post described as an “austere religious scholar” despite him being the head of an international terrorist organization.

🤔 pic.twitter.com/hxd6Jt5UlO

— Auron MacIntyre (@AuronMacintyre) July 8, 2022

As Chris Menahan notes, in addition to being a close ally of Donald Trump and strong on immigration and border security, Abe was also a critic of support for prolonging the war in Ukraine.

Abe even dared criticize globalist darling President Zelensky, asserting that the Ukrainian leader should have vowed not to join NATO and given the Donbass region autonomy in order to de-escalate tensions with Russia.

“Had Zelensky listened to Abe rather than Antony Blinken and Anne Applebaum, the war could have been avoided. Russia declared victory over the Donbass republic just days ago after over four months of devastating combat,” writes Menahan.

“The current Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, threw all of Abe’s overtures to Russia out the window after the war in Ukraine broke out and put Japan on war footing by embracing the US and EU’s anti-Russian sanctions and the freezing of Russian assets.”

“Whereas Abe’s “Abenomics” showed moderate success in working to revive Japan’s economy after over a decade of stagflation, Kishida’s economics and support of Western sanctions against Russia has imploded Japan’s economy and triggered record inflation.”

Authorities say they haven’t yet found any evidence that the gunman was motivated by his opposition to Abe’s political beliefs.

This was the moment Shinzo Abe was assassinated. pic.twitter.com/vBpzy6LBE0

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) July 8, 2022