Former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe (67) has endured a gunshot on Friday - July 8 during a campaign event in the Nara region. Being a prominent leader across the world, Abe enjoys the tag of the longest-serving Japanese Prime Minister. Abe was immediately shifted to a hospital and shockingly, he is in critical condition and battling for survival as he has shown no vital signs. 

Japan's national broadcaster NSK said that Abe was delivering a speech at a campaign event in Nara city ahead of Sunday's upper house elections during which the gunshot was heard as the former Prime Minister was put in a battle for survival. On the front of who shot him, it has been reported that a man in his 40s was identified as a shooter and he was arrested and taken into custody.

The Japanese police authorities, who had confiscated the gun from the suspect, identified the shooter as 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, who is a resident of Nara. The suspect had served in Japan's military. A young woman, who was an eye-witness, said, "He (Abe) was giving a speech and a man came from behind. The first shot sounded like a toy. He didn't fall and there was a large bang. The second shot was more visible, you could see the spark and smoke."

After enduring a shot, Abe apparently collapsed and was bleeding from the neck. He was rushed to a hospital and the doctors have indicated that the former premier was not showing any vital signs. Abe was initially conscious and responsive and he was airlifted to the hospital. According to Reuters, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said that Abe was shot at about 11.30 am local time. He further said that such an act of barbarity cannot be tolerated. The Japanese government has said that a task force has been formed in the wake of the incident.

The incident has swiftly garnered global attention with several world leaders reacting to what has become the rarest rare event in Japan, a country with strict gun regulations. Abe had served two terms as the Prime Minister and he had been Japan's longest-serving Prime Minister before stepping down in 2020 owing to ill health. Though he relinquished his post, Abe had remained a dominant leader in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), controlling one of its major factions. 

Abe has come to Nara to campaign for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who goes into Sunday's upper house election and after the former Prime Minister Abe was shot, Kishida has suspended the campaign. However, the government has said that there was no plan to defer the election in the midst of the stoppages of campaigns by major parties. 

Reacting to the violence, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed deep concern over Abe's health condition. Blinken, being the closest ally to Japan, said, "Our thoughts, our prayers are with him, with his family, with the people of Japan." "This is a very, very sad moment. And we're awaiting news from Japan", Blinken added. Gunshots in Japan happen once in a blue moon as the country has robust gun-control laws and annual deaths from firearms in the country of 125 million people stand in single figures.

Abe's premiership

Shinzo Abe became the Prime Minister for the first time in 2006 as Japan's youngest Prime Minister since World War Two. However, his first term ran with beleaguering events and he stepped down in 2007. He then became the Prime Minister for the second time in 2012 and this time, he held the office for eight years till 2020, marking a history of becoming the longest-serving Japanese Prime Minister so far. 

Abe is from a wealthy political background and his family had a foreign minister while his grandfather Nobusuke Kishi served as the Prime Minister from 1957 to 1960. Abe was first elected to parliament in 1993 after his father's death and according to Reuters, he rose to national fame by adopting a tough stance towards North Korea in a feud over Japanese citizens kidnapped by the adversary neighbour decades ago. Abe is popularly known for his Abenomics policy of aggressive monetary easing and fiscal spending.

Being a powerful politician, Abe was instrumental in winning the host for conducting the 2020 Olympics and before becoming the Prime Minister, he held the posts of Cabinet Secretary and the Leader of Opposition. As per the recent reports, Abe's health condition remains critical and the doctors are working hard to save him. 

Speaking about the violence, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, "It is a despicable act of barbarity that occurred when an election, which is the basis of democracy, is being held and is totally unacceptable. I would like to use the strongest words to criticise, and this is what I wanted to convey at this moment. It is barbaric and malicious and it cannot be tolerated. We will do everything we can...At this moment, doctors are working very hard to save Mr Abe."