TOKYO, July 8 (Reuters) – Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister and a key figure in shaping its post-war trajectory, died on Friday after being shot while giving a campaign speech, shocking a nation where political violence is rare..
Abe, 67, was giving a speech in support of a Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidate on a street in the western city of Nara when he was shot. He was airlifted to hospital but died of his wounds several hours later..
Police arrested Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder, local media reported. Yamagami was a former member of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force, according to NHK public television..
Abe was Japan’s prime minister from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. He was a conservative who sought to boost Japan’s military and revive its economy, and he played a key role in shaping Japan’s response to the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster..
Abe’s death sent shockwaves through Japan and the world, with leaders from around the globe expressing their condolences and outrage..
U.S. President Joe Biden said he was .
