Detailed Report on Shooting Incident
Status of Former Prime Minister Abe Still Unconfirmed
[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] Chinese media quickly reported on the shooting incident involving former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The state-run Xinhua News Agency cited Japanese media on the 8th, reporting that Prime Minister Abe, who was giving a speech, was shot in the chest and collapsed.
Xinhua News Agency further reported that Abe was shot around 11:30 a.m. (Japan local time) while campaigning for the House of Councillors election in Nara City, Nara Prefecture, and was in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest.
Chinese media Pengpai, citing China CCTV, provided detailed coverage of the shooting incident involving former Prime Minister Abe. They reported that Abe was shot and collapsed around 11:30 a.m. that day.
It was reported that Abe was hit by a shot fired from about 3 meters behind him. According to witnesses, two gunshots were heard, after which Abe collapsed. The gun used to shoot Abe was reported to be a shotgun. The suspect arrested at the scene is a man in his 40s.
Chinese media reported that the Japanese government immediately set up a crisis management center at the Prime Minister’s Official Residence following the shooting of former Prime Minister Abe and is currently assessing the situation.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroichi Matsuno officially confirmed at the Prime Minister’s Official Residence that former Prime Minister Abe was shot and stated that Abe’s current health condition is unclear.
Xinhua News Agency reported that Abe served as Prime Minister from 2006 to 2007, returned to power in 2012, and served until 2020. They added that he was the longest-serving Prime Minister in Japan’s history.
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