Shinzo Abe, Japan's former Prime Minister, died Friday moments after an assassin shot him twice while delivering a speech. He was 67.
The shooter was neutralized by security personnel onsite. The 41-year-old suspect is presently in police custody.
Witnesses reportedly heard gunshots during the incident in Nara. He was standing while delivering a speech in his campaign for the Sunday upper house elections, according to Politico.
According to local media, authorities found explosives while searching the home of Abe's alleged shooter.
Before the news of Abe's death broke, per BBC, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned the assassination calling it "barbaric and malicious and it cannot be tolerated."
Kishida said: "This attack is an act of brutality that happened during the elections - the very foundation of our democracy - and is absolutely unforgivable."
The former prime minister was reportedly conscious and responsive moments after the attack, though his Shinzo Abe health condition eventually deteriorated.
According to the doctors, the former minister had no vital signs when he was transferred to a hospital for treatment and a blood transfusion.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed sadness about the attack on Abe, who was a longtime ally of Washington, per Inquirer.
At a G20 meeting in Bali, Blinken told journalists that the United States was "deeply saddened and deeply concerned" about Shinzo Abe Shooting.
"Our thoughts, our prayers are with him, with his family, with the people of Japan," Blinken said.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, who chairs the Group of 20 meetings, also expressed her "deepest sympathies" and prayers upon knowing the Shinzo Abe update.
Japan Lost Its Longest-Serving Post-War Prime Minister
Since Japan established a prime minister-led government in the late 19th century, Shinzo Abe holds the record for the longest consecutive term as prime minister from December 2012 to September 2020, as per a report from the Wall Street Journal. He also held the record for the most days in office during a previous tenure from 2006 to 2007.
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Mr. Abe, the political dynasty's heir, campaigned for Japan's revival of economic and military power that had slowed down in the 1990s following its quick rise from World War II defeat.
He was a proponent of the US-Japan military alliance and established ties with former US President Donald Trump. The two played golf five times and communicated with each other over the phone several times.
In 2016, he acted as a guide for past US President Barack Obama during the latter's visit to Hiroshima, the site of the atomic bombing that ended the Second World War. It was the first visit by an American president to the location.
Abe also was the first Japanese leader to Japanese leader to address a joint session of the US Congress.
A Visionary Leader
Among his significant measures was the campaign for bolstering the Japanese military into the latter years of Abe's administration in preparation for the possibility of a North Korean missile strike or a Chinese invasion of disputed islands that Japan owns in the East China Sea.
Abe also exerted influence over the current administration of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, encouraging him to adopt aggressive positions.
His "Abenomics" initiative to revitalize Japan's economy had varying degrees of success, but it was negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic toward the conclusion of his term.
