Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan, fainted while giving a lecture in Nara City today. He was taken to the hospital where he is now reportedly in “cardiopulmonary arrest.”
The ex-Japanese prime minister has been transported to the hospital and is in cardiac arrest, according to the local fire service. He will be transported via medevac to Nara Medical University Hospital in the prefecture’s Kashihara City.
According to police, Abe seemed to have been shot with a shotgun from behind. Police reportedly apprehended the attacker and recovered a pistol from the site, according to local media.
Police sources cited by Japan’s national broadcaster NHK, Abe was awake and alert while being taken to the hospital following the alleged shooting.
Abe passed out at approximately 11:30 a.m. while promoting a Liberal Democratic Party candidate for the House of Councillors election on Sunday, according to local media. Witnesses reported hearing what seemed to be two gunshots.
The longest-serving prime minister of Japan, Abe, resigned in 2020, citing health concerns. He served as Japan’s prime minister twice, from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 20. Yoshihide Suga and then Fumio Kishida succeeded him.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Shinzo Abe have a close connection, which was made clear during their meeting in May. The meeting served as a showcase for PM Modi and the former Japanese PM’s strong personal chemistry.
