Nara, Japan - Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has passed away. Abe was shot in the chest while he was making a speech on a street in the city of Nara on Friday in what appears to be an assassination attempt. He was one of the most consequential leaders in Japan’s postwar history and the country's longest-serving prime minister before stepping down in 2020.

He was earlier reported to be in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest. 

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned the shooting in the western city of Nara in the "strongest terms". 

Kishida said Abe, 67, was in grave condition and the assault on him during the campaign for Sunday's upper house election was an unacceptable attack on the foundation of Japan's democracy.

Japanese people and world leaders expressed shock at the assassination attempt, an extremely rare attack in Japan that its political parties condemned.

He was unconscious when he was transported via a medical helicopter to Nara Medical University in the city of Kashihara, south of central Nara and was bleeding from the chest.

The police have arrested the man suspected of attacking Abe, the 41 year-old Yamagami Tetsuya, reportedly a resident of Nara. Media said he had served in Japan's military.

Political violence is rare in Japan, a country with strict gun regulations. It was the first assassination of a sitting or former Japanese premier since the days of prewar militarism in the 1930s.

Abe is the sixth former Japanese prime minister to be assassinated. 

About Shinzo Abe

Shinzo Abe was born on 21 September 1954 in Tokyo to a prominent political family with significant economic influence throughout pre-war, wartime and post-war Japan. His family is originally from Yamaguchi Prefecture, and Abe's registered residence (honseki chi) is Nagato, Yamaguchi.

He studied public administration and graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science from Seikei University in 1977. He later moved to the United States. In April 1979, Abe began working for Kobe Steel. He left the company in 1982 and pursued a number of government positions including executive assistant to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, private secretary to the chairperson of the LDP General Council, and private secretary to the LDP secretary-general.

On 23 April 2006, Abe was elected as the president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. He was the President of the LDP from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. He also served as Chief Cabinet Secretary from 2005 to 2006 under Junichiro Koizumi and was briefly leader of the opposition in 2012.

He was the longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history. Abe married Akie Matsuzaki, however the couple do not have any children.

In addition to his native Japanese, Abe spoke English.
-JT/AP/Reuters