Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has died after he was shot on Friday while on campaign in the city of Nara.
NHK reported that the gunshot came from behind by a man wielding a shotgun and that authorities have arrested the suspect, a 42-year-old man.
NHK also reported that Abe, 67, seemed to be suffering a cardiac arrest when he was being taken to the hospital, after surviving the shot.
He has however been confirmed dead.
The news agency released a video of Abe making a campaign speech outside a train station when two shots rang out, after which the view was briefly distorted before security officials were seen tackling a man to the ground.
TBS television said the former prime minister was shot on the left side of his chest and also in the neck.
Shinzo Abe had served two terms as prime minister, making him Japan’s longest-serving premier before he resigned in 2020 due to health reasons. Since then Sinzo Abe remained a dominant presence in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), overseeing one of its major factions.
This attack is surprising as political violence is rare in Japan, a country with strict gun regulations.
