Shinzo Abe, a former Japanese prime minister who was shot earlier today, has passed away in Nara, in western Japan.
He was reportedly shot in the chest and neck while running for office in the western city of Nara, according to the local media.
The 67-year-old former prime minister of Japan was shot while making a campaign speech on the sidewalk next to a train station in Nara at around 11:30 am (02:30 GMT).
NHK claimed that a gun went off twice before Abe fell to the ground bleeding profusely while clutching his chest. He was taken to the hospital right away, but at the time, according to fire officials quoted in the local media, he was not showing any vital signs. At the scene, a suspect in his forties was taken into custody.
In November 2019, Abe became the longest-serving premier in Japanese history, but by the summer of 2020, he had lost the support of the public due to the way he handled the COVID-19 outbreak and a string of scandals, including the arrest of his former justice minister. Due to COVID-19, the Games were postponed to 2021, and he left his position without preside over them.
As Japan’s youngest prime minister since World War Two, he first assumed office in 2006. Following a year marred by political scandals, voter outrage over misplaced pension records, and a crushing defeat for his ruling party in the elections, Abe resigned, citing poor health.