Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a divisive arch-conservative and one of his nation’s most powerful and influential figures, has died after being shot during a campaign speech Friday in western Japan, hospital officials said.
Nara Medical University emergency department chief Hidetada Fukushima said Abe suffered major damage to his heart in addition to two neck wounds that damaged an artery, causing extensive bleeding.
He was in cardiac and pulmonary arrest when he arrived at the hospital and never regained his vital signs, Fukushima said.
Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, center, falls on the ground in Nara, western Japan Friday, July 8, 2022. (Kyodo News via AP)
A man (C) is detained near the site of gunshots in Nara, western Japan, on July 8, 2022. (Kyodo News via AP)
Abe, who stepped down in 2020, was shot moments into a speech before being airlifted to hospital….