Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe died Friday after being shot while delivering a campaign speech, authorities said. He was 67 years old.
The big picture: Abe, who most recently held office from December 2012 to September 2020, was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister. He resigned in 2020 for health reasons, but continued to be influential in politics.
What happened: Abe was shot while campaigning in the city of Nara ahead of Sunday’s election in the upper house of parliament, NHK reported.
- He was rushed to hospital, but showed no vital signs, according to NHK. He received two gunshot wounds and died shortly after 5 p.m., local time, health officials said at a news conference.
- Police have arrested the alleged shooter, Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, according to NHK. According to reports, the former member of the Japanese Navy was unhappy with Abe and therefore wanted to kill him, but not because of political differences.
- It appears that the weapon found at the scene was handmade.
- Shots are extremely rare in Japan, a country with some of the most restrictive arms control laws in the world. Last year there were 10 shootings and one gun death in Japan, the Washington Post notes.
- Abe’s widow, Akie Abe, will travel with her body to Tokyo, where her family is located, her office told CNN. Funeral services will then be held.
What they are saying: “I was working for peace and stability in Japan and the world,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said after confirmation of Abe’s death.
- “He was a dear friend who loved this country,” Kishida added. “Losing that figure that way is absolutely devastating.”
- Friday earlier, Kishda called the attack on Abe “barbaric and malicious and cannot be tolerated.”
- “This is not a forgivable act,” Kishida said, adding that the authorities “will take appropriate measures to manage the situation.”
World leaders expressed shock and outrage at the assassination.
- “This is shocking. It is deeply disturbing … It is also such a strong personal loss for so many people,” US Secretary of State Tony Blinken told reporters in Indonesia, where he is attending a ministerial meeting. of G20 Foreign Affairs.
- “In the United States, Prime Minister Abe was an extraordinary partner. And someone who was clearly a great leader for Japan,” Blinken added.
- “Mr Abe was one of the first world leaders I met when I became Prime Minister. He was always focused, thoughtful and generous,” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a statement.
- “This act of violence against Japan’s longest-serving prime minister is unfathomable, and we stand by Japan in its condemnation of what has happened today.”
Background: Abe gained prominence in national politics in the early 2000s, according to the New York Times.
- He was prime minister in 2006, but resigned abruptly a year later after several political scandals.
- Abe returned for a second term as prime minister in 2012, promising to revive the economy and amend the country’s pacifist constitution, a goal he failed to achieve due to lack of public support.
- At the end of his term, there have been strong ties with the United States, especially with former President Trump.
- When he announced he would resign in 2020, citing ongoing health issues with ulcerative colitis, his popularity had waned due to his handling of the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and a number of political scandals, according to the Times.
- His more than seven years in office offered a rare firm hand at the helm of Japanese politics. The country had been known for its frequent rotation of prime ministers before taking office in 2012.
Deepen: World leaders express surprise at the assassination of Shinzo Abe of Japan
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with new details.