APAN EX-PM SHINZO ABE SHOT DURING SPEECH. BREAKING: Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe falls on the ground in Nara, western Japan Friday, July 8, 2023.
Abe was in heart failure after apparently being shot during a campaign speech Friday in western Japan, NHK public television said Friday. (Kyodo News via AP).
Just heard of the horrible news that former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot while delivering a speech in Nara. Based on news reports, he is currently unconscious and the suspect is in the police’s custody.
This reminded me of PNoy’s visit to Japan in 2014. We left early morning to fly to Tokyo for a meeting with PM Abe in which they discussed areas of bilateral cooperation, including territorial disputes with China.
As we were leaving the meeting venue, PM Abe shook my hand and said goodbye because he thought I was Cabinet Secretary.
After lunch, we took the shinkansen to Hiroshima where PNoy spoke at a Mindanao peace conference organized by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) then we visited the Hiroshima Peace Museum. It was PNoy’s first time to visit Hiroshima.
Shinzo Abe Prime Minister Shot
Shinzo Abe Prime Minister Shooting Video
We had dinner then we flew back to Manila so we wouldn’t have to spend on staying over night. Yes, it was a day trip to Japan. I arrived my home at around 3am.
I wish PM Abe recovers from the attack. He is a good friend of the Philippines.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has collapsed after he was shot at an event in the city of Nara.
Mr Abe was shot twice, with the second shot hitting him in the back, causing him to fall to the ground. Reports say his attacker has since been arrested.
Ex-Tokyo governor Yoichi Masuzoe said in a tweet that the 67-year-old Mr Abe was in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest.
The term is often used before a death is officially confirmed in Japan.
“Former prime minister Abe was shot at around 11:30 local time (02:30 GMT) in Nara. One man, believed to be the shooter, has been taken into custody. The condition of former prime minister Abe is currently unknown,” chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters.
“Whatever the reason, such a barbaric act can never be tolerated, and we strongly condemn it.”
Videos circulating on social media, which could not be verified, appear to show paramedics huddled around Mr Abe in the middle of a street. He has now reportedly been rushed to hospital.
Mr Abe was giving a stump speech for a candidate in Nara when the attack happened – eye-witnesses say they saw a man with what they described as a large gun fire from behind.
The first shot appears to have missed but the second shot hit Mr Abe in the back. He immediately fell to the ground bleeding. Security then detained the attacker who made no attempt to run.
Local news broadcaster NHK said Mr Abe was “conscious and responsive” while being transported after the shooting, citing police sources. The broadcaster also added that police have seized the attacker’s gun and identified him.
NHK added that the suspect used a handmade gun.
Local media reports say the attacker is believed to be a former member of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force, the local equivalent of a navy.