Tokyo: Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has passed away at the age of 67 on July 8. He had earlier collapsed after he was shot during a campaign event in the Nara region.
The former PM had been delivering a stump speech at an event ahead of the Upper House election on July 10 when the apparent sound of gunshots was heard.
The shocking incident unfolded when a man came from behind and shot Abe while he was addressing a campaign event. He reportedly collapsed and was bleeding from the neck after a second shot was fired.
As per reports, the man who attacked Abe was "dissatisfied" with him and wanted to kill him. The 41-year-old, a former member of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, opened fire at Abe with an apparently homemade gun.
Notably, senior Japanese politicians are accompanied by armed security agents but often get close to the public, especially during political campaigns when they make roadside speeches and shake hands with passersby.
Meanwhile, the 67-year-old Shinzo Abe was Japan's longest-serving prime minister. He held office in 2006 for one year and again from 2012 to 2020 when he was forced to step down due to the debilitating bowel condition ulcerative colitis.
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