Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (67) was gunned down Friday morning local time while speaking in the city of Nara, in the south of the Japanese island of Honsu. The politician is said to have been hit in the chest and taken to hospital with a cardiac arrest.
According to the Japanese broadcaster NHK, the former prime minister was shot from behind when he delivered a speech in the old imperial city of Nara Friday morning local time in connection with the upper house elections next Sunday. According to local media, a 42-year-old man was arrested around 11:30 am local time on suspicion of attempted murder.
“Cardiac Arrest”
An NHK reporter reports that two shots could have been heard during the speech of the ex-government head. According to Kyodo News, Abe is unconscious and appears to be in “cardiac arrest”. That term is often used in Japan before a death can be confirmed by a doctor. The Nara Fire Department confirms that Abe went into cardiac arrest before being taken to hospital.
Japanese chief secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Abe’s condition is currently “unknown” and called the attack “unforgivable”. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, a party member of Abe, has interrupted his campaign in the northeast of the country and is on his way to Tokyo.
Longest-serving Prime Minister in the country
Abe was Prime Minister of Japan from 2006 to 2007 and from December 2012 to September 2020. At the end of August 2020, he announced his resignation due to health problems. Abe, 67, was the country’s longest-serving prime minister.
Elections to the upper house of parliament will be held in Japan on Sunday. The ruling party LDP, Abe’s party, is expected to win a resounding victory.
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