[3rd Report] "Former Japanese PM Abe Attacked During Campaign, In Cardiac Arrest...Suspect Arrested"

40s Male Suspect Arrested at the Scene

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot and lost consciousness while campaigning in support of the House of Councillors election in Nara Prefecture, western Japan, on the 8th, according to simultaneous reports by the state-run NHK and local media.

Prime Minister Abe was shot in the chest around 11:30 a.m. that day, and a man was arrested at the scene.

NHK reported that the suspect is a man in his 40s who was arrested at the scene by the police, and a firearm was confiscated. According to officials, two gunshots were heard at the scene, after which former Prime Minister Abe collapsed bleeding. A Liberal Democratic Party official said a suspicious person fired something like a gun from behind.

Former Prime Minister Abe lost consciousness immediately after the attack and was promptly transported to the hospital. Kyodo News cited local firefighters saying he may have been in cardiac arrest.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Bloomberg reported that Japan has the strictest gun control laws among major economies and that mass shootings are almost nonexistent.

It is known that former Prime Minister Abe was campaigning in support of the upcoming House of Councillors election on the 10th. In this election, it is expected that the pro-constitutional amendment forces, including the Liberal Democratic Party, will secure more than two-thirds of the seats to meet the proposal requirements for constitutional amendment. Former Prime Minister Abe persistently advocated for revising the pacifist constitution during his tenure.

According to opinion polls, as expected, the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito is projected to hold between 133 and 151 seats after the election. Securing a majority is considered easy, and attention is focused on whether the proposal for constitutional amendment will be secured. Due to increased security threats from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, rising tensions between China and Taiwan, and North Korea's missile launches, constitutional revision has emerged as a key issue in this House of Councillors election.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.