Image: Screengrab from video aired by NHK
Nara: Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe passed away after being shot during a campaign speech on Friday.
The 67-year-old conservative leader was one of Japan's most influential figures and was Japan's longest-serving leader before stepping down in 2020.
After the attack, he was airlifted to the hospital for emergency treatment. Officials said he was not breathing, and his heart had stopped. He suffered an injury to the right side of his neck and was bleeding internally in his chest, reported Japanese news agency Kyodo.
The gunman was arrested on the spot.
Japan is known for having some of the strictest gun control laws in the world. The attack shocked the Asian nation for the same reason. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called the incident "dastardly and barbaric". "I use the harshest words to condemn (the act)". He appeared to be emotional.
The video aired by NHK showed Abe giving a speech outside a train station in Nara. He was raising his fist while speaking when two gunshots were heard. The former PM was then seen collapsing on the street and holding his chest. Security guards were seen running towards him.
Guards tackling the attacker, Tetsuya Yamagami (41), were also seen in the video. He appeared to have used a handmade double-barreled device. The suspect served in the Maritime Self-Defense Force for three years in the 2000s.