Shinzo Abe, former Japanese prime minister, assassinated during speech | USA TODAY

Shinzo Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, died after being shot during a campaign speech.

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Shinzo Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister , died at the age of 67 Friday after being shot during a campaign speech in western Japan, hospital officials confirmed. Japan's NHK Television earlier reported Abe's death. It was a shocking attack in a country that has some of the strictest gun control laws anywhere.

Abe was shot from behind minutes after he started his speech Friday in Nara in western Japan. Local fire department official Makoto Morimoto said Abe was in cardio and pulmonary arrest after being shot. His heart stopped while he was being airlifted to a hospital, Morimoto said. He was pronounced dead later at the hospital.

Police arrested a male suspect at the scene of the shooting in Nara, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters. According to NHK, Japan's public broadcaster, Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, was arrested.

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20 comments

  1. Prayers 🙏and condolence to Japan, for their big lost. One of Japan 21st century iconic and influential leader 💔

  2. First of all, my condolences to the prime minister. Secondly, do not show any sympathy for him or his political affiliations. He and his Nippon Kaigi cronies have controlled Japan for a long time by distorting Japan’s role in WWII and denying war crimes against Asians (predominantly Koreans and Chinese), Europeans, and Americans in Japan’s education. What happened today proves that Japan is one of the safest nations in the world. Still, as long as his cronies remain in power, minorities in Japan and countries neighboring Japan will never be safe from people like him and his political affiliations.

  3. 😭 安倍総理一族と日本に心から哀悼の意を表します。
    My deepest condolences to the Abe family and Japan 🇯🇵! 🙏

  4. Prayers and support to his family, friends and to the Japanese people. A great leader who loved his country and people.

  5. His bodyguards are really co-operative with the killer, allowing him to stand behind all the time unsupervised, and shooting twice

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