Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks during a press conference at the prime minister official residence on Aug. 28, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. (Franck Robichon – Pool/Getty Images)
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been taken to hospital bleeding after reportedly being shot in Nara, a city in western Japan, public broadcaster NHK reported on Friday.
Abe was delivering a speech for a Liberal Democratic Party of Japan candidate’s election campaign when he collapsed and appeared to have been shot in the chest, according to multiple reports.
A reporter for NHK said she heard what sounded like two consecutive gunshots and then saw Abe bleeding. Footage from the station captured the moment he fell. The incident took place near Yamatosaidaiji Station.
He appeared to show no vital signs, the fire department said, reported NHK.
Two bullets struck the left side of Abe’s chest from behind, Fuji News Network reported, citing officials from the Liberal Democratic Party.
A male suspect was detained at the scene around 11:30 a.m., according to reports. The suspect is reportedly a foreign citizen in his 40s.
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