Shinzo Abe, Japan's former prime minister, assassinated at a campaign stop

Shinzo Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, was shot on Friday July 8,2022 while campaigning for a parliamentary election, with public broadcaster NHK saying a man armed with an apparently homemade gun opened fired at him from behind.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Abe, 67, was in grave condition. He condemned the shooting in the western city of Nara during the campaign for Sunday's upper house election as an unacceptable attack on the foundation of Japan's democracy.

Earlier, a hospital official said Abe appeared to be in a state of cardiac arrest when airlifted to hospital, after having initially been conscious and responsive.

Police said a 41-year-old man suspected of carrying out the shooting had been arrested. NHK quoted the suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, as telling police he was dissatisfied with Abe and wanted to kill him.

"Such an act of barbarity cannot be tolerated," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters, adding that Abe had been shot at about 11:30 a.m. (0230 GMT).