Former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated in Nara on Friday while campaigning for the upcoming election, reported Reuters quoting public broadcaster NHK. The 67-year-old world leader was rushed to hospital in grave condition, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in an address to the nation. The incident occurred at around 11.30 am (8 am IST). Abe was making a campaign speech on a street outside the train station ahead of Sunday’s election to the upper house of Japan’s parliament. A 41-year-old man Tetsuya Yamagami, believed to be a resident of Nara City, has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder for shooting at Abe.
Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister, who was shot at during an election campaign in western Japan’s Nara city, has died, news agency Reuters said quoting Japanese media house NHK. The Nara fire department had earlier said that the 67-year-old Abe was in cardiopulmonary arrest before he was taken to the hospital. They said that he had been wounded on the right side of the neck and the left clavicle. Abe’s wife Akie has reached the hospital, reported Japanese media.
A 41-year-old man Tetsuya Yamagami, believed to be a resident of Nara City, has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder for shooting at Abe, reported Japanese media house NHK quoting police sources. He is reportedly a former member of the maritime self-defence force and appears to have shot at the ex-Prime Minister from behind with a homemade gun. The reason for the attack is yet to be confirmed.
PM Modi had earlier said he was deeply distressed by the attack on Abe. In footage aired on TV, Abe is seen collapsing on the street, with several security guards running toward him. The 67-year-old world leader is then seen holding his chest through his blood-smeared shirt as he collapsed.
