BREAKING: Former Japan PM shot during campaign trail
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been allegedly shot during a campaign speech in Nara, western Japan, this morning. Photos of the former PM laying on the ground, with people trying to assist while removing his blood-stained shirt, appear to support the report of a shooting.
The 67 year old fell to the floor holding his chest and is in a “state of cardiopulmonary arrest” (a term used in Japan before a feared death can be confirmed by a doctor, according to the South China Morning Post) after collapsing while making a campaign speech ahead of this Sunday’s upper house elections.
Japan’s public broadcaster, NHK, said Abe appeared to be bleeding from the chest after being shot from behind with a shotgun. NHK added that a man had been taken into custody but provided no further details.
Abe was the country’s longest-serving prime minister until he resigned in 2020
More details to follow.
SOURCE: The Guardian