Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe critically shot while campaigning
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot during a campaign speech on Friday in the west of the country.
Local fire department official Makoto Morimoto said Abe was in cardio and pulmonary arrest, or CPA, after being shot, meaning he was not breathing and his heart stopped while he was being airlifted to a prefectural hospital.
Police arrested a male suspect at the scene of the shooting.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK aired footage showing Abe collapsing on the street, with several security guards running toward him, He was bleeding and holding his chest.
Abe was in Nara campaigning ahead of Sunday’s election for Japan's upper house, and was giving a speech when people heard a gunshot.
The attack was a shock in a country that has some of the strictest gun control laws in the world.
It was not immediately clear how serious Abe’s injuries were.
Abe, 67, stepped down as prime minister in 2020 after a chronic health problem resurfaced. He had ulcerative colitis since he was a teenager, but said the condition was controlled with treatment.
At the time he told reporters that it was “gut wrenching” to leave many of his goals unfinished. He spoke of his failure to resolve the issue of Japanese abducted years ago by North Korea, a territorial dispute with Russia and a revision of Japan’s war-renouncing constitution.
That last goal was a big reason he was such a divisive figure.
Supporters of Abe said that his legacy was a stronger US-Japan relationship. But Abe made enemies too, by forcing his defence goals and other contentious issues through parliament, despite strong public opposition.
US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel expressed sadness and shock at the shooting. “Abe-san has been an outstanding leader of Japan and unwavering
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