TOKYO — Shinzo Abe, Japan’s former prime minister, has been knocked unconscious following being shot Friday while giving a speech in western Japan, authorities said.
Abe, 67, collapsed and appeared to be bleeding following a gunshot was heard in the city of Nara, near Kyoto, according to a reporter from NHKthe public station, which was on the spot.
Seigo Yasuhara, an officer at the command center at the Nara Fire Department, said Abe had been transferred by ambulance to a medevac helicopter and later to Nara University Medical Hospital, the Nara Fire Department reported.
He was unconscious and showing no vital signs, the official said.
NHK reported, citing police, that a suspect, 42-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, had been detained. The report indicated that he was a resident of Nara.
Abe has been the longest-serving prime minister, serving two terms, from 2006 to 2007 and 2012 to 2020. He resigned in 2020 due to ill health.
Abe was in Nara campaigning ahead of elections for the upper house of parliament scheduled for Sunday, NHK reported. Abe was giving a campaign speech on behalf of Kei Sato, 43, a current member of the upper house running for re-election in Nara, when he was shot.
Fumio Kishida, the current prime minister, was campaigning in Yamagata prefecture and will return to Tokyo, where he is expected to speak to the media.
Motoko Rich is the Tokyo bureau chief, where she covers Japanese politics, society, gender issues, and the arts, as well as news and features on the Korean peninsula. She has covered a wide variety of topics at The Times, including real estate, the economy, books, and education. @motokorich • Facebook
Ben Dooley reports on the business and economy of Japan, with a focus on social issues and the intersections between business and politics. @benjamindooley