Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe Shot Dead?
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe feared to be dead after being attacked by an unidentified man while on road during a campaign speech.
67 year old Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in Nara in Japan. He had gone there for an election campaign. At around 11:30 am during his speech gunshots were heard in the vicinity. That’s when Abe collapsed. The former leader was reportedly unconscious after the incident. He was seen bleeding from the neck. Abe was taken to hospital and appeared to be in cardo-respiratory arrest -- a term used in Japan indicating no vital signs, and generally preceding a formal certification of death by a doctor. Several media outlets reported that he appeared to have been shot from behind. There is still very little info on the matter.
A woman at the scene said, "He was giving a speech and a man came from behind. The first shot sounded like a toy. He didn't fall and there was a large bang. The second shot was more visible, you could see the spark and smoke. After the second shot, people surrounded him and gave him a cardiac massage." A man was arrested. The local police have confiscated the gun of the shooter. The accused appeared to be in his 40s. The Japanese government said a task force had been formed to investigate the matter. Abe is Japan's longest-serving prime minister. He held office in 2006 for one year and again from 2012 to 2020. In 2020 he was forced to step down due to ulcerative colitis. Japan has some of the world's toughest gun-control laws. Out of a population of 125 million, people dying of guns every years is almost below 10. Getting a gun license is a long and complicated process. Japanese citizens must first get a recommendation from a shooting association and then undergo strict police checks.
