Tokyo, July 8: Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been pronounced dead after being shot earlier today. Abe was shot at twice as he was making an election campaign speech ahead of Sunday's election for the parliament's upper house in Japan's Nara. Abe breathed his last at the age of 67.

Japanese police immediately arrested the suspected gunman at the scene of the attack. While Shinzo Abe was airlifted from the site and admitted to a hospital where he was undergoing treatment. According to reports, Abe was in cardiac arrest and was given CPR. He was pronounced dead later at the hospital. Shinzo Abe Dies After Being Shot During Campaign Speech in Japan’s Nara.

Abe first took office in 2006 as Japan’s youngest prime minister since World War II. After a year plagued by political scandals, voter outrage at lost pension records, and an election drubbing for his ruling party, he stepped down in 2020 citing ill health.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 08, 2022 02:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).