Guwahati: Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan, fainted while giving a lecture in Nara City on Friday. He was taken to the hospital where he is now reportedly in “cardiopulmonary arrest.”
The ex-Japanese prime minister has been transported to the hospital and is in cardiac arrest, according to the local fire service. He will be transported via medevac to Nara Medical University Hospital in the prefecture’s Kashihara City.
According to police, Abe appeared to have been shot with a shotgun from behind, the Kyodo news agency reported. Police reportedly detained the attacker and recovered a gun from the site, according to local media.
According to police sources cited by Japan’s national broadcaster NHK, Abe was awake and alert while being taken to the hospital following the alleged shooting.
Abe passed out at around 11:30 a.m. while promoting a Liberal Democratic Party candidate for the House of Councillors election this Sunday, according to local media. Witnesses reported hearing what appeared to be two gunshots.
The longest-serving prime minister of Japan, Abe, resigned in 2020, citing health concerns. He served as Japan’s prime minister twice, from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 20. Yoshihide Suga and then Fumio Kishida succeeded him.
Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, and Shinzo Abe have a close friendship, which was made clear during their meeting in May. The encounter served as a showcase for PM Modi and the former Japanese PM’s strong personal chemistry.