Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe died Friday after being hospitalized after being shot during a rally.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK reports the news of Shinzo Abe’s death. Japan’s former prime minister was shot dead during a rally in Nara on Friday morning.
The 67-year-old former prime minister was taken by ambulance to a hospital near Kintetsu Yamato-Saitaji station, where he was pronounced dead. According to NHK, Abe showed no signs of life when he was rescued from the scene of the attack..
Japanese police have announced that the suspect involved in the attack is a 41-year-old unemployed man and a former member of the country’s navy. Yamagami Tetsuya, originally from Nara, was arrested at the scene of the attack and was in possession of a gun with which he allegedly fired two shots at the former Japanese leader.
Shinzo Abe was participating in a Liberal Democratic Party (PLD) election rally for the July 10 parliamentary election when gunfire was heard. Pictures taken during the attack show the former prime minister shot in the back.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe broke records for longest life at the helm of the country and has faced numerous political and financial scandals involving his family.
Shinzo Abe, 67, stepped down as prime minister two years ago for health reasons.. A pragmatic nationalist, he was 52 when he first became head of government in 2006, the youngest in post-war Japan’s history.