Viral Instagram post: Shinzo Abe killed because he “didn’t impose vaccines, return 1. 6 million doses and gave ivermectin to citizens. “
PolitiFact Decision: False
Here’s why: The Japanese government is investigating how and why a gunman murdered former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with a homemade gun on July 8.
Police said Tetsuya Yamagami, the 41-year-old gunman, denied having a political reason and told investigators he tried to kill Abe because he believed Abe was affiliated with an organization he didn’t like, according to reports from The Guardian and other media outlets. .
Police did not identify the organization, but Japanese media reported that it is a devout organization to which the shooter’s mother had donated cash before going bankrupt. as through some experts to act as a cult, said the mother of Yamagami, a member.
The investigation into Abe’s murder has been ongoing since July 11. But despite the lack of information, incorrect information about what happened is being spread online.
An unsubstantiated conspiracy Instagram post reported that Abe died from avoiding COVID-19 vaccines and adopting the drug ivermectin while leading Japan’s reaction to the pandemic.
“The assassinated Japanese prime minister carried out (the World Economic Forum’s) orders,” the July 10 message read. “He imposed vaccines, returned 1. 6 million doses and gave ivermectin to citizens. Does it make sense now?”
The post was reported as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat fake news and incorrect information in its News Feed.
The message is unfounded and indeed misleading; there is no evidence that Abe died from his reaction to COVID-19, and this reaction did not involve the promotion of ivermectin over vaccines.
The concept that Japan under Abe had abandoned the launch of its vaccine and treated COVID-19 patients with ivermectin gained traction in October 2021 thanks to a fake blog post through far-right radio host Hal Turner, who has a habit of promoting conspiracy theories.
The Japanese government does impose vaccination against COVID-19.
In September 2021, Japan withdrew around 1. 63 million doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines after human error led to contamination.
But Japan has never stopped all vaccination efforts. The country has administered more than 280 million doses of the vaccine as of July 11, according to Our World in Data and Reuters. About 81 people in the country have been fully vaccinated, according to Our World in Data.
Ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug, is not among the drugs approved for COVID-19 through the Japanese government (the U. S. federal fitness agencies). The U. S. also does not approve ivermectin to treat or save COVID-19. )
An Instagram post claimed abe was killed because he “didn’t impose vaccines, return 1. 6 million doses and give ivermectin to citizens. “
There is no evidence that Abe killed for this reason; The investigation into his killing is ongoing, but police said the attacker denied a political motive, according to reports.
The Instagram post on which it relied in the past refuted claims that Japan had abandoned its vaccination efforts to focus on prescribing ivermectin for COVID-19. Although the country withdrew some infected vaccines from Moderna, it continued to vaccinate and did not authorize the use of ivermectin.
We this post False.