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Former Japan PM Abe killed in shooting

Tomohiro Osaki with Hiroshi Hiyama and Sara Hussein in Tokyo, Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks to the members of the press during a press conference held at the Diamond Hotel in Manila, Nov. 14, 2017. George Calvelo, ABS CBN News/File " src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/overseas/07/08/20171114-japan-prime-minister-shinzo-abe-gc-003.jpg"/><figcaption>Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks to the members of the press during a press conference held at the Diamond Hotel in Manila, Nov. 14, 2017.<em> George Calvelo, ABS CBN News/File </em></figcaption></figure></div><h3>Hospital confirms Abe&#x27;s death </h3><p>KASHIHARA, Japan<strong> (3rd UPDATE) </strong>—Japan&#x27;s former prime minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated on Friday by a gunman who opened fire at close range as the hugely influential politician delivered a campaign speech.</p><p>The murder of the 67-year-old, who had been Japan&#x27;s longest-serving leader, stunned the nation and prompted an international outpouring of grief and condemnation.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/07/08/22/ex-japan-pm-abe-shot-feared-dead ">Former Japan PM Abe &#x27;in grave condition&#x27; after shooting</a></li></ul><p>It was all the more shocking given Japan&#x27;s strict gun laws and low rates of violent crime, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida describing the killing as a &quot;barbaric act&quot; that was &quot;absolutely unforgivable&quot;.</p><p>Abe, who held office in 2006 for one year and again from 2012 to 2020, was shot shortly before noon while campaigning in the western region of Nara ahead of weekend upper house elections.</p><p>He was flown by helicopter to a hospital where he was pronounced dead several hours later, despite a team of 20 medics trying to resuscitate him.</p><p>Doctors said the politician suffered two gunshot wounds in the neck and died of massive blood loss.</p><p>After Abe&#x27;s death was confirmed, a visibly emotional Kishida said he was &quot;lost for words&quot;.</p><p>&quot;During this election period, a despicable and barbaric act was committed... this is unforgivable. We condemn it once again in the strongest terms,&quot; said the prime minister, having abandoned the campaign trail and flown back to Tokyo.</p><p>The attack occurred as Abe delivered a stump speech with security present but spectators able to approach him easily.</p><p>Footage from public broadcaster NHK showed him standing on a stage when a man dressed in a grey shirt and brown trousers approached from behind, before drawing a weapon from a bag.</p><p>At least two shots appeared to be fired, each producing a cloud of smoke. As spectators and reporters ducked, a man was shown being tackled to the ground by security.</p><p>The man was arrested and identified by local media as 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami. Several outlets described him as a former member of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, the country&#x27;s navy.</p><p>He was wielding a weapon described by local media as a &quot;handmade gun&quot;, and NHK said he told police after his arrest that he &quot;targeted Abe with the intention of killing him&quot;.</p><div><strong>A &#x27;LARGE BANG&#x27; </strong></div><p>Witnesses described shock as the political event turned into chaos.</p><p>&quot;The first shot sounded like a toy bazooka,&quot; a woman told NHK. </p><p>&quot;He didn&#x27;t fall and there was a large bang. The second shot was more visible, you could see the spark and smoke.&quot;</p><p>Officials from the local chapter of Abe&#x27;s Liberal Democratic Party said there had been no threats before the incident and that his speech had been announced publicly.</p><p>Several parties announced their senior members would halt campaigning for Sunday&#x27;s election in the wake of the attack, but the ruling LDP and its coalition partner Komeito said canvassing would resume on Saturday.</p><p>The attack prompted international shock, with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen tweeting that the &quot;brutal and cowardly murder&quot; had shocked the world.</p><p>US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Abe &quot;a leader with great vision&quot; who &quot;brought the relationship between our two countries... to new heights&quot;.</p><p>South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol described the killing as an &quot;unacceptable act&quot;.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/07/08/22/shinzo-abe-japans-longest-serving-prime-minister ">Shinzo Abe: Japan&#x27;s longest-serving prime minister</a></li></ul><div><strong>Strict gun laws </strong></div><p>Abe was forced to step down in 2020 due to the debilitating bowel condition ulcerative colitis.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/08/28/20/japanese-pm-abe-steps-down-over-health">Japanese PM Abe steps down over health</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/08/29/20/abes-sudden-departure-catches-japan-off-guard ">Abe&#x27;s sudden departure catches Japan off guard</a></li></ul><p>The hawkish conservative had pushed for the revision of Japan&#x27;s pacifist constitution to recognize the country&#x27;s military, and stayed a prominent political figure even after his resignation.</p><p>Japan has some of the world&#x27;s toughest gun-control laws. Annual deaths from firearms in the country of 125 million people are regularly in single figures.</p><p>Getting a gun license is a long and complicated process for Japanese citizens, who must first get a recommendation from a shooting association and then undergo strict police checks.</p><p>Corey Wallace, an assistant professor at Kanagawa University who focuses on Japanese politics, said the incident recalled the 1960 assassination of Inejiro Asanuma, the leader of the Japan Socialist Party, who was stabbed by a right-wing youth. </p><p>He noted that Japanese politicians and voters were used to a personal and close-up style of campaigning.</p><p>&quot;This could really change,&quot; he said.</p><div><strong>FROM THE ARCHIVES: </strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2112714" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

KASHIHARA, Japan (3rd UPDATE) —Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated on Friday by a gunman who opened fire at close range as the hugely influential politician delivered a campaign speech.

Former Japan PM Abe killed in shooting

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Former Japan PM Abe killed in shooting

Tomohiro Osaki with Hiroshi Hiyama and Sara Hussein in Tokyo,

Agence France-Presse

Published Jul 08, 2022 05:02 PM PHT

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Updated Jul 08, 2022 10:19 PM PHT

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