Abe died of excessive bleeding and was pronounced dead at 5:03 p.m. local time, doctors at Nara Medical University Hospital said during a news conference on Friday. Doctors said the bullet that killed the former Japanese leader was “deep enough to reach his heart” and a team of 20 medics were unable to stop the bleeding.
Abe went into cardiopulmonary arrest at the scene of the shooting and was rushed to the hospital at 12:20 p.m. local time with cardiac arrest, doctors said. During the operation, doctors discovered a gunshot wound to his neck and a large wound to his heart.
Suspect Tetsuya Yamagami was arrested at the scene and admitted to shooting Abe, according to Nara Nishi police.
Abe, 67, was the former leader of the Liberal Democratic Party and Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, holding office from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020 before resigning due to ill health. Since his resignation, he has remained in the public eye and appeared regularly in the media to discuss current affairs.
At the time of the shooting, Abe was delivering a speech in support of the LDP candidates in the city of Nara ahead of the House of Lords elections scheduled for Sunday.
Suspect apparently used homemade weapon
Video broadcast by public broadcaster NHK captured the moments before the shooting and showed Abe speaking to a small crowd outside Yamatosaidaiji Station. In the following videos, two shots can be heard and smoke can be seen in the air.
Photos show people gathered around the former leader as he lay in the street with what appeared to be bloodstains on his white shirt.
A Nara City Fire Department official told CNN Friday that Abe is in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest, a term used to describe the sudden loss of heart function and breathing.
He was taken to the hospital by helicopter, where paramedics made desperate efforts to keep him alive.
But Abe’s heart had stopped by the time he reached the hospital, doctors said.
The former leader had two shots, but doctors could not determine the trajectory of the bullet.
During the operation, the doctors struggled to stop the bleeding. “We took resuscitation measures, but unfortunately (Abe) passed away,” Hidenori Fukushima, a professor at Nara Medical University, told reporters.
Yamagami, who appeared to have used a homemade weapon in the attack, was arrested and charged with attempted murder, according to NHK.
He was held at the Nara Nishi Police Station for interrogation.
During a news conference on Friday, Nara Nishi police said the 41-year-old suspect, who is unemployed, hated a particular group he believed Abe was related to.
Police searched the suspect’s home at 5:17 p.m. local time, where they seized several hand-made pistol-like items, police said.
Yamagami is being identified as a suspect in a murder case that has 90 investigators assigned, police added.
Japan’s National Police Agency will review security arrangements for Abe, NHK reported Saturday.
NHK reported the police department said Nara Prefectural Police had prepared a security plan for the former prime minister while he was in the city. Prefectural police officers and Tokyo Metropolitan Police security personnel remained on the alert and reportedly watched Abe from all sides during his speech, NHK reported.
Several dozen officers, including Nara Prefecture plainclothes police officers and a specially assigned Tokyo police officer, were on duty, NHK reported.
World leaders appalled by assassination attempts
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed his “deepest condolences” to former leader Abe, saying he was “a personal friend with whom (he) spent a lot of time”.
Kishida said he had “great respect for the legacy (Abe) left behind” and will continue campaigning on Saturday, adding that a free and fair election must be defended at all costs.
News of the shooting and Abe’s subsequent death shocked world leaders, many of whom had worked with Abe during his long tenure. US President Joe Biden said he was “stunned, outraged and deeply saddened,” adding he worked closely with Abe and his assassination was “a tragedy for Japan and everyone who knew him.”
“While there are many details we do not yet know, we know that violent attacks are never acceptable and that gun violence always leaves a deep scar on the communities affected. The United States stands with Japan at this moment of mourning,” the US President said in a statement.
Later Friday, Biden ordered American flags at the White House and other federal grounds to be flown at half-mast through Sunday in recognition of Abe’s death.
“Abe was one of Australia’s closest friends on the world stage,” said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote On Twitter, he added that Abe is “a leader in the Indo-Pacific committed to a vision of a free and open region.” Abe’s legacy includes a major Asia-Pacific trade partnership known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement and the Quad, Albanese added, saying both were shaped by his diplomatic leadership. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India would hold a day of national mourning on Saturday. Abe was “an outstanding global statesman, an outstanding leader and a remarkable administrator,” Modi said, adding that his relationship with Abe “goes back many years.” and advocates of the multilateral world order” in a tweet on Friday.
“I mourn with his family, friends and all the people of Japan. This brutal and cowardly murder of Shinzo Abe shocks the whole world,” she said.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II said in a statement She had “fond memories of meeting Mr Abe and his wife” during her visit to the UK in 2016. “His love for Japan and his desire to forge ever closer ties with the UK were evident. I would like to offer my deepest sympathy and condolences to his family and the Japanese people at this difficult time,” the Queen said.
After Abe was shot but before his death was confirmed, the Chinese Foreign Ministry sent its condolences to Abe’s family. “We are following developments and hope that former Prime Minister Abe is out of danger and recovering soon. We would definitely like to convey our greetings to his family,” ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a news conference on Friday afternoon.
Japan’s low-arms crime
Abe’s killing shocked Japan, which has one of the lowest gun crime rates in the world due to its extremely strict gun control laws.
Last year, Japan reported just one firearm-related death and a total of 10 firearm-related incidents, according to the National Police Agency.
Eight of the 10 people reported have been linked to a gang, the agency added.
In 2018, Japan reported nine firearm-related deaths, compared to 39,740 that year in the United States.
Under Japanese gun laws, shotguns and airguns are the only weapons permitted for sale – handguns are prohibited. But getting a gun is a long and complicated process.
Nancy Snow, Japan’s director of the International Security Industrial Council, told CNN Friday’s shooting will change the country “forever.”
“Not only is that rare, but it’s also culturally inconsistent,” Snow said. “The Japanese people cannot imagine having a gun culture like we have in the United States. This is a speechless moment. I’m really at a loss for words. I am praying for the former Prime Minister.”
CNN’s Emiko Jozuka, Irene Nasser, Mayumi Maruyama, Jessie Yeung and Jake Kwon contributed coverage.