Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida suspended his election campaign on Friday after former PM Shinzo Abe was shot at and wounded in Nara. Kishida is on the way to Tokyo from Sagae City in Yamagata Prefecture, news agency Reuters reported. Elections to Japan’s upper house are scheduled to be held on Sunday, and both leaders were in the midst of campaigning.
According to reports, multiple shots were fired at Abe while he was delivering a speech on the streets of the city. Abe was wounded in his left chest and neck, Reuters reports.
He was rushed to hospital, where the 67-year-old is showing no vital signs and appears to be in cardiac arrest, reported local media channels Kyodo news agency and NHK.
A suspect was detained at the scene and is being questioned.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, in a press conference following the incident, said he could not confirm Abe’s condition.
