Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe died today after being shot twice at a campaign event in the Nara region, reported local media.
Here are some points on this big story
- “Former PM Shinzo Abe died at a hospital in Kashihara city, Nara, where he was admitted for medical treatment. Shinzo was 67,” local reports said citing a senior member of Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party
- Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot in Nara. Earlier in the day, Fumio Kishida told reporters as he abandoned his campaign trail and flew to Tokyo
- One man, who is believed to be the shooter, has been taken into custody, Chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said. Local media identified the man as 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami by citing police sources
- Shinzo Abe was delivering a speech at an event ahead of upper house elections when the gunshots were heard, the Kyodo news agency said
- A young woman at the scene told NHK, “he was giving a speech and a man came from behind”. She added, “the first shot sounded like a toy. The second shot was more visible, you could see the smoke and spark”
- Abe (67) collapsed and was bleeding from the neck, some sources told the Jiji news agency
- Various media outlets reported that he appeared to have been shot from behind, possibly it is a shotgun
- The government said a task force had been formed in the wake of this incident
- Shinzo is Japan’s longest-serving prime minister. He held office in 2006 for one year and again from 2012-2020
- Japan has some of the world’s toughest gun-control laws. Getting a gun license is a long and complicated process even for Japanese citizens. They have to get a recommendation from a shooting association and then undergo strict police checks
