Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving former Japanese prime minister, has been shot during a campaign speech in the western city of Nara in the most important act of political violence that has rocked the country in half a century.
Abe collapsed around 11:30 a.m. and was taken to hospital by helicopter after two shots hit him in the neck and left collarbone, according to local firefighters. He was unconscious and in cardiac arrest.
The shooting of one of Japan’s most influential modern leaders will impact a society that has suffered little political violence for decades and where guns are only owned by a handful of people.
“This is an act of heinous brutality that is absolutely unforgivable,” said Fumio Kishida, the current prime minister of Japan. Abe’s condition was serious, Kishida said.
Police arrested a 41-year-old man on suspicion at the scene of the shooting, according to local media. Images from the scene suggest the assailant used a homemade weapon.
Several local outlets named the suspect as Tetsuya Yamagami, a resident of Nara, who served in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force from 2002 to 2005.
After resigning as prime minister two years ago, Abe has continued to be an influential member of parliament as head of the largest faction of the Liberal Democratic Party.
Videos of the scene showed him making a speech near Yamato-Saidaiji station, in the suburbs of Nara. Two loud shots were heard and a puff of white smoke was seen behind the former prime minister.
Two students who witnessed the shooting told NHK public broadcaster that they saw something “that looked like a toy bazooka” and heard a loud bang when Abe was first shot.
“He didn’t collapse, we just felt a very strong blow, but nothing seemed to happen to him,” one of the students said. He said the smoke was “clearly visible after the second shot” and that “Mr Abe collapsed by the time the second shot was fired.”
The second student said the shooter “did not run away and stayed there, putting his gun close. He was surrounded by security very quickly. “
Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, said he was shocked by the shooting. “Abe-san has been a prominent leader in Japan and an unwavering ally of the United States,” he said.
During his two terms in office from 2006 to 2007 and from 2012 to 2020, Abe was known for his economic recovery plan and conservative views on history.
Launched in 2012, the stimulus program, known as Abenomics, aimed to pull the Japanese economy out of decades of deflation.
Abe also had hawkish views on the history and reform of the pacifist constitution to expand Japan’s military role, an agenda he continued to defend after his resignation due to health issues.
Even after Kishida took over as prime minister last October, Abe remained a powerful influence in all aspects of Japanese politics.
Prior to Friday’s shooting, the former prime minister was campaigning for Sunday’s election in Japan’s upper house. Elections will continue as planned, a Home Office official told the Financial Times.
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During the campaign, Abe fiercely defended the legacy of his economic program and urged citizens to support an increase in defense spending in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Beyond his economic policy, Abe promoted free trade and promoted his vision of a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” a position taken by Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden as they build a series of alliances in the region to counter an aggressive China.
The yen rose about 0.3% to 135.52 yen against the dollar. Analysts said uncertainty surrounding the incident had pushed traders to seek security in the shelter assets.