SHINZO ABE. Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe died of his injuries on Friday, July 8, 2022. He was shot and wounded while delivering a speech in Nara.
The essential
- Shinzo Abe died on Friday July 8, 2022. The former Prime Minister of Japan was targeted by two gunshots at 11:30 a.m. local time while giving a political speech in the city of Nara in western Japan.
- The ex-leader had been airlifted to the hospital but succumbed to his excessive injuries. Shinzo Abe was suffering from internal bleeding in his chest according to ABP News.
- The shooter who targeted Shinzo Abe was arrested and is currently being questioned by Japanese law enforcement. He admitted having shot the politician wanting to hurt him.
- The reactions of political leaders have been raining since this morning and the announcement of the attack on Shinzo Abe.
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12:02 – The Kremlin “saddened” by the death of Shinzo Abé
After NATO, Russia had a word for Japan. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said he was “deeply saddened” by the murder of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, hailing a “great patriot” of Japan.
11:59 – NATO reacts to the “heinous murder” of Shinzo Abe
After a series of reactions on the announcement of the attack against the former Prime Minister of Japan, the international political leaders express themselves on the death of Shinzo Abe and send their condolences to the Japanese. The head of NATO is the first to have reacted and said he was “deeply saddened” by the “heinous murder” of Shinzo Abe whom he describes as “a defender of democracy”.
11:55 – Shinzo Abe attacked in the back twice
According to witnesses, the shooter Tetsuya Yamagami, was posted behind the dais where Shinzo Abe was standing and shot the former prime minister in the back. According to NHK, another person present at the crime scene explained that he saw Shinzo Abe stumble after the first blow and collapse after the second.
11:50 – Shinzo Abe in “cardio-respiratory arrest” before joining the hospital
Shinzo Abe was seriously injured before being taken to hospital. One of the firefighters who took care of him had explained to NHK and the Kyodo news agency that the Prime Minister was in “cardiorespiratory arrest”. A term used in Japan to translate a critical situation before the death is confirmed by a doctor.
11:45 – A doctor speaks on the death of Shinzo Abe
“We weren’t able to keep him alive,” confirmed a member of Shinzo Abe’s medical team. During a press conference broadcast on the NHK channel, the doctor explained that the former Prime Minister suffered from two bullet wounds in the neck. Shinzo Abe was losing a lot of blood, so much that the blood transfusion was not enough to keep him alive.
11:40 – The shooter arrested, he claims to have targeted Shinzo Abe
The shooter was arrested just minutes after the attack. Identified and currently being questioned by law enforcement, Tetsuya Yamagami was spotted by witnesses to the scene and still had his gun in his hand when he was arrested. He admitted to the police that he had deliberately targeted Shinzo Abe and wanted to hurt him.
11:35 – Shinzo Abe taken care of quickly
Shinzo Abe was taken care of immediately after the attack. On the spot, “after the second shot, people surrounded him and gave him a cardiac massage” explained to the Japanese channel NHK a young woman present at the political event and witness of the scene. Firefighters quickly took over before the former prime minister was airlifted to Nara University Hospital. Doctors were already pessimistic about Shinzo Abe’s chances of surviving. The politician died in hospital.
11:29 – Shinzo Abe targeted by gunfire
Present in the city of Nara to deliver a speech during the senatorial campaign, Shinzo Abe was targeted by two bullets during his speech. According to testimonies collected by the Japanese media, two detonations sounded and the politician collapsed between the two shots or after the second.
11:25 – Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is dead
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe died on Friday July 8, 2022. Shot and wounded earlier in the day while attending a political event in Nara, western Japan, the 67-year-old succumbed to his injuries. A senior Liberal Democratic Party official announced Shinzo Abe’s death on national television.
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Shortly after the attack on Shinzo Abe, the secretary general of the Japanese government confirmed the arrest of a suspect. He is a man in his forties who was arrested for attempted murder and his weapon, which he still held in his hand at the time of his arrest, was seized. Identified, the shooter is a former soldier of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces. He confirmed to the police that he had deliberately shot Shinzo Abe and wanted to hurt the former Prime Minister. No link between the suspect and a radicalized political group has yet been established and the track seems to have been ruled out.
The shooter’s weapon was seized and it is neither a rifle nor a pistol but a homemade weapon made from the iron pipe and a wooden butt. The suspect tried to make it up on camera and according to a reporter from India’s ABP News, the weapon’s appearance is what allowed the shooter to get close to Shinzo Abe during his speech. The suspect is currently being questioned by law enforcement.
Shinzo Abe participated in a political rally of the senatorial campaign this Friday, July 8. In Japan, the election of senators is organized this Sunday, July 10, 2022. The former Prime Minister who led the country from 2012 to 2020 came to support his party, the Liberal Democratic Party (PLD). LDP General Secretary Yoshio Ogita was with Shinzo Abe during the attack. He explained to the New York Times that he heard two explosions and saw a veil of white smoke rising towards the sky. “I didn’t know what happened. I saw him collapse.” The current Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, considers the attack as an “act of barbarism” in the middle of the senatorial campaign.
Since the attack that targeted and seriously injured Shinzo Abe, political leaders around the world have been sending their support to the former Japanese Prime Minister. French President Emmanuel Macron assured that “France stands alongside the Japanese people” after this “odious” attack. The United States said it was “deeply concerned” by the attack on former Japanese leader Shinzo Abe and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken added: “It’s a very, very sad moment.” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “deeply upset” by the attack which targeted his “dear friend”. “Our thoughts and prayers are with him, his family and the Japanese people,” he said. The President of the European Council Charles Michel also reacted and presented himself “shocked and saddened by the cowardly attack” having targeted Shinzo Abe. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also had a word for the former Japanese leader, saying he was “appalled and saddened” after the “despicable” attack.
The attack on Shinzo Abe took place in the middle of the street during a political rally near Yamatosaidaiji station in the city of Nara, according to Japanese media NHK. The shooter was posted behind the platform where the former Prime Minister was standing. First aid was given to Shinzo Abe at the scene before the man was airlifted to the nearest hospital. Since the scene of the attack is marked out by the police.
Immediately after the attack, the suspect was restrained and arrested by Shinzo Abe’s security guards and law enforcement. He was knocked down while still holding his gun in his hand.