Key Points
- Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot during a campaign speech
- He later died in hospital
- The suspect is believed to be a former member of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, who reportedly used hand-made gun
- The Japanese community of Australia has expressed shock and disbelief
For a nation where guns are strictly controlled, and gun-related violence rare, the news of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's death after being shot has been met with "utter shock" and disbelief by Australia's Japanese community.
"This act of terror to political figures is something we may only see in textbooks, not in real time," Brisbane-based writer Taka Uematsu told SBS Japanese.
"The fact that such an attack took place at the site of an election, the greatest expression of democracy, is a reminder that anything can happen. I was shocked."
Sydney-based calligraphy artist, Ren Yano, said, "I am outraged that an unimaginable incident has happened in reality. I had hoped for him to survive and get well. I pray from the bottom of my heart that he will rest in peace."
Mr Abe was shot at least twice from behind while giving a speech in front of Yamato Saidaiji Station in Nara City, a location where many politicians make campaign speeches.
Photo taken in Nara, western Japan, on July 8, 2022, shows an area near the location where former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot from behind Source: AAP Image/Kyodo via AP Images
According to an NHK reporter who was in the area at the time, the former prime minister bled and collapsed during the speech.
He was transported to a hospital in Kashihara City, Nara Prefecture, by a helicopter, but is believed to have gone into cardiac and pulmonary arrest.
A senior Liberal Democratic Party official confirmed to NHK, that Mr Abe died in hospital, at 5:03pm local time.
He was 67.
Masahito Yamaguchi, former Vice President of the Japan Club of Sydney, said Mr Abe was "one of the most promising politicians for Japan".
An aerial photo shows former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the stretcher at Nara Medical University Hospital in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture Source: AAP Image/The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images
"Although he had stepped down [from his role as PM] due to health reasons, I have always hoped for him to go back once recovered, and help lead Japan to the world."
Mr Yamaguchi said both Japan and the world have "lost their biggest asset".
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held a press conference earlier today, condemning the attack as a "despicable and barbaric act, which cannot be tolerated."
Photo taken in Nara, western Japan, on July 8, 2022, shows an area near the location where former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot from behind Source: AAP Image/Kyodo via AP Images
According to local media reports, the suspect, a 41-year-old resident of Nara Prefecture and a former member of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The firearm used was reportedly hand-made.
"Japan is said to be the safest place in the world. The fact that this happened in Japan is very sad," Mr Yamaguchi said.
Passers-by pick up an extra edition of the Yomiuri Shimbun about Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe been shot Source: AAP Image/The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images
"I have heard obtaining firearms or making one in Japan is not that difficult. It's a realization that we, like the rest of the world, must look at the issues of guns in the country."
Australian leaders are among those paying tribute to Mr Abe, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese describing it as "devastating news".
"Mr Abe was one of Australia's closest friends on the world stage...Under his leadership Japan emerged as one of the Australia's closest and most like-minded partners in Asia - a legacy that endures today."
"We offer our deepest sympathies and condolences to Mrs Abe and Mr Abe's other family and friends, and to the people of Japan."
Australia's federal Opposition leader, Peter Dutton, said Australians grieve with those mourning in Japan.
"Shinzo Abe was a true statesman, a giant of international politics, and a great man," he said in a statement.
"Australians knew him to be our sincere, trustworthy and staunch friend."
Additional source: AFP
