Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe dies after being shot
2 Min Read
Japan's former Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, is announced dead after suffering from gunshot wounds on Friday in Nara.
-
Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe dies after being shot.
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe died on Friday after being shot while giving a speech in Nara, according to Japanese media.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had previously stated that Abe was in "severe condition". He was unconscious and bleeding from the chest when he was admitted to the hospital.
The suspect in the attack on Abe, who was giving a speech in front of Yamato Saidaiji Station when the event occurred at 11:30 am, has been apprehended. Campaigning for the Upper House election on Sunday had already begun.
Two shots were fired in the encounter, according to the video. Japan is known for having some of the world's strongest gun control laws.
Abe is showing no vital signs after being shot by a gunman in Nara, Kyodo reports, citing a local emergency official said.
— The Japan Times (@japantimes) July 8, 2022
According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, Abe was shot in the right side of his neck and was bleeding internally on the left side of his chest. According to NHK, who cited ambulance personnel, the former PM was flown by emergency helicopter to Nara Medical University in the city of Kashihara, south of central Nara.
According to the broadcaster, the man was arrested on charges of attempted murder, and the gun was taken. Tetsuya Yamagami, a 41-year-old Nara resident, was confirmed by NHK as the man.
Read next: Former Japan PM shot
According to Jiji, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's special advisor Gen Nakatani told reporters that "terror or violence can never be tolerated."
NHK is broadcasting the moment that Japanese Former PM Shinzo Abe was shot from behind. Video does not show the shooter, just the puff of smoke. pic.twitter.com/4CNW1JTmvn
— Global: MilitaryInfo (@Global_Mil_Info) July 8, 2022
Abe, Japan's longest-serving Prime Minister, served for one year in 2006 and again from 2012 to 2020 until being forced to resign due to the debilitating bowel condition ulcerative colitis.
It is worth noting that Japan has some of the strictest gun-control regulations in the world, and yearly firearm deaths in the country of 125 million people are often in the single digits.
Even for Japanese nationals, obtaining a gun license is a lengthy and complicated process that requires a recommendation from a shooting association and extensive police checks.
