Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been confirmed dead after he was shot at during a campaign speech in Nara City, western Japan. He was 67.
Abe was addressing an election meeting ahead of Sunday’s polling for the Upper House of the Parliament.
Witnesses reported hearing gunshots at the site following which Abe collapsed. Police said that a male suspect, believed to be in his late 30s, was arrested at the scene.
Abe served as Prime Minister of Japan from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. He was the longest-serving Prime Minister in Japanese history. He also served as the president of the Liberal Democratic Party from 2012 to 2020.