Shinzo Abe (67) was shot in broad daylight at a campaign rally Friday morning in the town of Nara, in western Japan.
Doctors were unable to stop the bleeding from the bullet that went “deep enough to reach his heart”. He was pronounced dead at 5:03 PM local time.
Abe had just started speaking at the event shortly before noon when he was shot and fell to the ground.
According to NHK who was covering the campaign event, there were two shots fired, one to Abe’s neck and the second to his chest. The suspect was arrested on the scene and it appears the gun was homemade.
The suspect is 41-year-old Yamagami Tetsuya a former member of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force, for three years until 2005.
Abe stepped down in 2020 as prime minister citing health reasons, but remained in the public eye and was campaigning for Liberal Democratic Party candidates on Friday. He was the longest-serving prime minister in Japan.
Independent journalist Jordan Schachtel shared on Twitter a picture of world leaders including Abe:
“Thoughts and prayers to former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was just shot in an assassination attempt. Abe was a loyal ally to the U.S., and fiercely defended the idea of national sovereignty. He’s the guy to the right of Merkel with his arms crossed. Total legend.”
Thoughts and prayers to former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was just shot in an assassination attempt.
— Jordan Schachtel @ dossier.substack.com (@JordanSchachtel) July 8, 2022
Abe was a loyal ally to the U.S., and fiercely defended the idea of national sovereignty.
He’s the guy to the right of Merkel with his arms crossed.
Total legend. pic.twitter.com/3UYKnqv7ub
Former President Donald Trump truthed about Abe’s assassination:
“BAD NEWS FOR THE WORLD! Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is dead. He was assassinated. His Killer was captured and will hopefully be dealt with swiftly and harshly. Few people know what a great man and leader Shinzo Abe was but history will teach them and be kind. He was a unifier like no other, but above all, he was a man who loved and cherished his magnificent country, Japan. Shinzo Abe will be greatly missed. There will never be another like him! President Donald J. Trump”
President Trump On The Assassination Of Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
— The Columbia Bugle 🇺🇸 (@ColumbiaBugle) July 8, 2022
“Shinzo Abe will be greatly missed. There will never be another like him!” pic.twitter.com/ovnqI2cbqw
The world is in shock at the assassination of the former prime minister.
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