Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot twice at an event in the city of Nara by a man in his 40s.
The first shot hit him in the neck while the second shot hit him in the back, causing him to fall to the ground, public broadcaster NHK reported on Friday.
Health officials said he was not showing any vital signs and was bleeding while being taken to the hospital by helicopter.
What Happened To Shinzo Abe?
Japan’s former Prime Minister Abe was shot during a campaign speech for a parliamentary election on Friday; officials said after the shot, he was in cardio and pulmonary arrest; after being shot, he was airlifted to a prefectural hospital.
The police arrested the suspect gunman-Tetsuya Yamagami, a 41-years-old man with a homemade gun, at the scene. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said, “A barbaric act like this is unforgivable, no matter what the reasons are, and we condemn it strongly.”
Video footage on social media shows Abe speaking in front of a crowd when a loud bang is heard from behind him, and a cloud of gunsmoke can be seen.
How Is His Health Condition Now?
Shinzo-Japan’s longest-serving prime minister stepped down in 2020 because of his chronic ulcerative colitis health problem. After the sound of two gunshots, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said she saw Abe bleeding.
安倍晋三元首相の銃撃事件を受け、深い悲しみを覚えるとともに大きな衝撃を受けています。安倍さんは日本の優れた指導者であり、米国にとって揺るぎない盟友でもあります。米国政府と米国民は、安倍さんのご無事を願うとともに、ご家族と日本国民が安心できるよう祈っています。 https://t.co/pXPYyxlCjU
— ラーム・エマニュエル駐日米国大使 (@USAmbJapan) July 8, 2022
According to the Fire Department information, Abe showed no vital signs at the crime spot. Current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at a news conference on Friday that Abe is in critical condition and emergency treatment is taking place; Abe remained the most influential politician in Japan and was camping for his Liberal Democratic Party.
Officials informed that Abe was shot in the neck and chest and has suffered significant internal bleeding; Abe’s younger brother told Tokyo reporters that the former prime minister is currently receiving a blood transfusion in hospital.
Who Shot Shinzo Abe? Enemy or Terrorist?
According to the NHK report, the suspect was identified as a Nara resident in his early 40s. Abe started Abenomics- a set of aggressive monetary and fiscal policies to pull Japan out of economic stagnation.
Even after his retirement, Abe was still active in public life. During his prime ministership, he developed Japan’s foreign relations. He formalized a four-way alliance with India, Australia, and the U.S. to improve maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region.
When Abe resigned as prime minister, he was covered with corruption scandals and low public approval over how his cabinet handled Japan’s coronavirus epidemic. His wife and the head of the nationalist school operator were found guilty of fraud charges related to public subsidies for constructing an elementary school.
Under Japanese law, public campaigning is allowed 20 days before the election. While senior politicians like Abe typically travel with extensive security, an attack on public figures is extremely rare in Japan.
Kishida told reporters, “Everything that can be done is being done to revive him. I’m praying from the depths of my heart that his life will be saved.”. He informed that he was unaware of any motive for the attack on former prime minister Abe.