Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot during a speech at an election campaign program in the western part of the country, has died on Friday, in which Shinzo Abe could not escape. Seriously injured, Shinzo Abe was airlifted to a hospital but at the time he was not breathing and had a heart failure. This information was given by the local fire department. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that doctors did their best to save Abe.

Abe suffered a heart attack after being shot

Local fire department official Makoto Morimoto said Abe suffered a heart attack after being shot and was taken to a provincial hospital. Chief Cabinet Minister Hirokazu Matsuno informed the media that the police had arrested a suspect from the scene of the incident in Nara. Matsuno said that such barbaric act is completely unforgivable, whatever the reason, and we strongly condemn it.

Video footage surfaced

Earlier, state broadcaster NHK broadcast a footage of the incident, in which 67-year-old Abe can be seen falling on the road and several security personnel can be seen running towards him. Abe was shot minutes later when he began to deliver a speech outside a main train station in western Nara. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida returned to Tokyo in a helicopter from his election campaign site in Yamagata in northern Japan. Kishida and Abe belong to the same political party. Matsuno said that all cabinet ministers have returned to Tokyo after stopping their campaign.

Voting for the Upper House of the Japanese Parliament on Sunday

In another video footage, election campaign officials can be seen gathering around their popular leader. Abe was still an influential leader in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, leading its largest faction, the Sewakai. Voting for the upper house of the Japanese parliament is to be held on Sunday. Abe was giving a speech when people heard gunshots. After being shot he fell to the ground and he kept his hand on his chest, his shirt was covered in blood.

Abe had resigned from the post of PM

This attack in Japan, considered one of the safest countries in the world, is astonishing. Japan has strict gun control laws. Abe resigned from the post of Prime Minister in 2020, saying that a chronic illness of his had re-emerged. He spoke of his failure to resolve the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea years ago, territorial disputes with Russia, and amendments to Japan's war-abandoning constitution.