Japan’s former Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe has been confirmed dead, hours after being shot.
Gatekeepers News earlier reported that Abe was shot while delivering an election campaign speech in the city of Nara on Friday ahead of Sunday’s election for the parliament’s upper house.
Medics at Nara Medical University Hospital said Abe’s condition was ‘very grave’ when he was brought in, as he had two wounds in the neck and subcutaneous hemorrhage.
“Shinzo Abe was transported to [the hospital] at 12:20 pm. He was in a state of cardiac arrest upon arrival. Resuscitation was administered. However, unfortunately he died at 5:03pm,” Hidetada Fukushima, professor of emergency medicine at the hospital told reporters.
Abe died of blood loss, despite being administered blood transfusions in large quantities, Fukushima said.
A 41-year-old male suspect has been arrested in connection to the shooting. The suspect, who was identified as Yamagami Tetsuya, was holding a gun, which police confiscated.
Abe served as Japan’s prime minister from December 2012 to September 2020, making him the country’s longest serving prime minister.