[Update: 6.40pm] Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has died after being shot in Nara.
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Former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot at around 11.30am today while giving a stump speech in Nara. He was in the city near Kyoto as part of a campaign to support a Liberal Democratic Party candidate for the upcoming upper house election this Sunday. NHK first reported the news, with witnesses saying they heard two gunshots.
Abe was rushed to the Nara Medical University Hospital in a helicopter. The Japan Times reports that he’s in critical condition. Meanwhile, a 41-year-old suspect has been apprehended by the police for the alleged assassination attempt.
As the country’s longest-serving prime minister, Abe first served as the leader of the nation from 2006 to 2007, and later between 2012 and 2020. He resigned in August 2020 due to health reasons.