Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says ex-leader Shinzo Abe is in “severe condition” after being shot.
Abe was shot while giving a campaign speech in western Japan on Friday (local time).
Local fire department official Makoto Morimoto said the 67-year-old Abe was not breathing and his heart stopped while being airlifted to a hospital.
Kishida, who belongs to the same political party as Abe, returned to Tokyo from a campaign trip after the shooting.
Kishida spoke to reporters at the prime minister’s office, saying Abe was receiving utmost medical treatment.
“I’m praying for former prime minister Abe’s survival from the bottom of my heart,” he said.
Kishida called the attack “dastardly and barbaric” and that the crime during the election campaign, which is the foundation of democracy, is absolutely unforgivable.
Police arrested a male suspect at the scene of the shooting in Nara.
NHK public broadcaster aired footage showing Abe collapsed on the street, with several security guards running toward him. He was bleeding and holding his chest.
In another footage, campaign officials were surrounding him to treat the popular former leader who is still influential in the governing Liberal Democratic Party and heads its largest faction Seiwakai. Elections for Japan's upper house, the less powerful chamber of its parliament, are on Sunday.
Abe was giving a speech when people heard gunshots. He was holding his chest when he collapsed, his shirt smeared with blood, but was able to speak before he fell unconscious.
The attack was a shock in a country that's one of the world’s safest and with some of the strictest gun control laws anywhere.
Abe stepped down in 2020 because he said a chronic health problem has resurfaced. Abe has had ulcerative colitis since he was a teenager and has said the condition was controlled with treatment.
He told reporters at the time 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.
His ultra-nationalism riled the Koreas and China, and his push to normalise Japan's defense posture angered many Japanese. Abe failed to achieve his cherished goal of formally rewriting the US-drafted pacifist constitution because of poor public support.
Supporters of Abe said that his legacy was a stronger US - Japan relationship that was meant to bolster Japan’s defence capability. But Abe made enemies too by forcing his defense goals and other contentious issues through parliament, despite strong public opposition.
Abe is a political blue blood who was groomed to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi. His political rhetoric often focused on making Japan a “normal” and “beautiful” nation with a stronger military and bigger role in international affairs.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she was "deeply shocked to hear the news."
"He was one of the first leaders I formally met when I became Prime Minister. He was deeply committed to his role, and also generous and kind.
"I recall him asking after the recent loss of our pet when I met him, a small gesture but one that speaks to the kind of person he is.
"My thoughts are with his wife and the people of Japan. Events like this shake us all to the core."
Former New Zealand Prime Minister, Helen Clark tweeted about the incident saying: "I met PM Abe many times & am deeply shocked. My thoughts are with Mr Abe's family & country at this time."
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese echoed the sentiments.
“Shocking news from Japan that former PM Shinzo Abe has been shot. Our thoughts are with his family and the people of Japan at this time,” Albanese tweeted.
- Additional reporting 1News
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