Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a has died after being shot during a campaign speech Friday in western Japan, hospital officials said.
Abe, 67, was shot from behind minutes after he started his speech in Nara. He was airlifted to a hospital for emergency treatment but was not breathing and his heart had stopped.
He was later pronounced dead despite emergency treatment that included massive blood transfusions, hospital officials said.
Police arrested the suspected gunman at the scene of an attack that shocked many in Japan, which is one of the world’s safest nations and has some of the strictest gun control laws anywhere.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his Cabinet ministers hastily returned to Tokyo from campaign events around the country after the shooting, which he called “dastardly and barbaric.”
Boris Johnson said that Britain stood with Japan at this dark time following the “incredibly sad news” about the death of former premier Shinzo Abe in a shooting.
“Incredibly sad news about Shinzo Abe,” he said on Twitter. “His global leadership through unchartered times will be remembered by many. My thoughts are with his family, friends and the Japanese people.”
“The UK stands with you at this dark and sad time.”
