Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot and gravely injured while campaigning Friday in southern Japan, according to public broadcaster NHK.
Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, was giving a speech in the city of Nara when gunfire was heard around 11:30 a.m. (10:30 p.m. Thursday ET). NHK, citing the local fire department, reported that Abe was in a state of “cardiopulmonary arrest.”
The news outlet reported that the suspected shooter had been apprehended.
Elections for the upper house of the Japanese Parliament are Sunday. Abe, 67, who stepped down in 2020, was campaigning for other members of the governing Liberal Democratic Party but is not a candidate himself.
Gun violence is extremely rare in Japan, where handguns are banned and people must undergo extensive tests, training and background checks to obtain and keep shotguns and air rifles.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel said that he was shocked and saddened by news of the shooting.
“Abe-san has been an outstanding leader of Japan and unwavering ally of the United States,” Emanuel said in a statement Friday. “The U.S. Government and American people are praying for the well-being of Abe-san, his family, and people of Japan.”
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
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