Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Defense, Creative Commons license
NARA, JAPAN (AP) – Japan’s NHK television says former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has died after being shot during a campaign speech.
Abe was shot from behind minutes after he started his speech Friday in Nara in western Japan. He was airlifted to a hospital for emergency treatment but was not breathing and his heart had stopped. He was pronounced dead later at the hospital.
The 67-year-old Abe was Japan’s longest-serving leader before stepping down for health reasons in 2020.
Police arrested the suspected gunman at the scene of the attack, which shocked people in a country known as one of the world’s safest.
By Mari Yamaguchi, Chisato Tanaka, and Foster Klug, Associated Press
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