Tokyo: Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe died Friday after he was shot twice during a campaign event in the Nara region, the hospital treating him confirmed, media reports said.
"Former prime minister Abe died at a hospital in Kashihara city, Nara, where he was receiving medical treatment. He was 67," said a senior member of Abe's Liberal Democratic Party, according to local reports.
Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters said, "It is absolutely unforgivable. I condemn this act in the strongest terms." On hearing the news, Kishida left his campaign trail and rushed to Tokyo.
Kishida arrived at the Prime Minister's office at 2:30 p.m. local time by helicopter from Yamagata Prefecture where he was campaigning for the upcoming Upper House election and later met the press.
Chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said a man believed to be the shooter has been taken into custody.
According to local media said citing police sources that the man has been identified as 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami.
Former #JapanesePM #ShinzoAbe was assassinated Friday, reportedly, by a 41 yr old man, around 11.30 am local time while campaigning in the #Nara region.#ShinzoAbeShot #TetsuyaYamagami pic.twitter.com/V2b5NJeqhj
— India Blooms (@indiablooms) July 8, 2022
"He was giving a speech and a man came from behind," a young woman at the scene told NHK.
"The first shot sounded like a toy. He didn't fall and there was a large bang. The second shot was more visible, you could see the spark and smoke," she added. "After the second shot, people surrounded him and gave him cardiac massage."
Abe, 67, was also campaigning for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in the city of Nara in western Japan when he was shot from the back. He collapsed after a second shot, witnesses said.
Abe reportedly had no vital signs after being shot on the streets of Nara.
The incident happened around 11.30 am local time, shortly after Abe began to speak. Video footage going viral on social media appears to show security guards at the event apprehending someone.
Sources with the investigation told NHK that a gun seized at the scene appeared to be handmade.
Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, held office in 2006 for one year.
He again assumed office from 2012 to 2020, when he was forced to leave office due to the debilitating bowel condition ulcerative colitis.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled Abe's death and descrined him as a leader who was "always passionate about strengthening India-Japan ties".
Sharing a picture from my most recent meeting with my dear friend, Shinzo Abe in Tokyo. Always passionate about strengthening India-Japan ties, he had just taken over as the Chairman of the Japan-India Association. pic.twitter.com/Mw2nR1bIGz
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 8, 2022
French President Emmanuel Macron said Japan lost a great PM and a leader who "brought balance to the world".
Macron tweeted in French, which read, " On behalf of the French people, I send my condolences to the Japanese authorities and people after the assassination of Shinzo Abe. Japan is losing a great Prime Minister, who dedicated his life to his country and worked to bring balance to the world."
Au nom du peuple français, j’adresse mes condoléances aux autorités et au peuple japonais après l’assassinat de Shinzo Abe. Le Japon perd un grand Premier ministre, qui dédia sa vie à son pays et œuvra à l’équilibre du monde.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) July 8, 2022
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a tweet he was “stunned and deeply saddened” by Abe's death, saying the country will "stand close to Japan."
"The deadly assassination attempt on @AbeShinzo stunned and deeply saddened me. My deepest sympathy goes to his family, my colleague Fumio @kishida230 and our Japanese friends. Even in these difficult hours, we stand close to Japan
Das tödliche Attentat auf @AbeShinzo macht mich fassungslos und tieftraurig. Mein tiefes Mitgefühl gilt seiner Familie, meinem Kollegen Fumio @kishida230 und unseren japanischen Freundinnen und Freunden. Wir stehen auch in diesen schweren Stunden eng an der Seite Japans.
— Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) July 8, 2022
Israel's leaders also spoke out, with Prime Minister Yair Lapid hailing Abe as "one of the most important leaders of modern Japan, and a true friend of Israel."
The State of Israel mourns the death of former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe following today’s horrific attack.
— יאיר לפיד - Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) July 8, 2022
He was a fierce & distinguished leader and a key architect of modern Israel-Japan relations.
Sending condolences to his family, loved ones and the Japanese people.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Abe's assassination "shocking," and praised Abe as "a leader with great vision" and an "extraordinary partner," who took US-Japanese relations "to new heights", CNN reported.
“It’s profoundly disturbing in and of itself, it’s also such a strong personal loss for so many people," Blinken said Friday.
Some former leaders who had worked Abe during his primeministership also condoled his death.
Former British Prime Minister David Cameron said Abe was "a good friend personally, a strong partner to the UK, and a thoroughly kind and decent man." He called his death "devastating and truly shocking."
Israel's ex-leader Benjamin Netanyahu said he "will always remember Shinzo Abe and cherish our deep friendship," while Nicolas Sarkozy, the former French prime minister, called him "a great leader who left his mark on Japan."
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