Former Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe has died, according to Japan’s national broadcaster.
Abe, 67, who remains Japan’s longest serving prime minister, was shot while giving a campaign speech on Friday, July 8 .
The suspected attacker reported to be a man in his 40s was tackled at the scene by the Japanese secret service personnel and arrested. The motive for the attack is yet to be determined.
Abe sustained wounds on the right side of his neck and left clavicle after being shot.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply distressed by the attack” and described Abe as a “dear friend”.
In Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his country’s “thoughts are with [Abe’s] family and the people of Japan at this time”.
Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore’e PM, shared a post on Facebook, describing the shooting as a “senseless act of violence”. He also described Abe as “a good friend of Singapore”.
New Zealand’s leader Jacinda Ardern recalled Abe being one of the first world leaders she met “when I became Prime Minister”. And she said: “Events like this shake us all to the core.”
Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, gave a brief reaction in which he said he “didn’t know” much about the incident. He also expressed “my condolences to my Japanese colleague for what happened.”
The shooting of Abe in Japan is shocking as Gun violence is very rare in Japan, and guns are extremely difficult to own.
Photographs taken as the suspect was being apprehended show what looks like an improvised, or home-made, double-barrelled shotgun