Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio told reporters that former prime minister Abe Shinzo is in serious condition after he was attacked in Nara City.
Kishida said, "It is such a despicable act that took place during an election period, which is the foundation of democracy. It is totally unacceptable. I condemn the act in the strongest possible terms."
Former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo reportedly remains in hospital without vital signs after being shot on the street in the western prefecture of Nara.
Police have arrested Yamagami Tetsuya for attempted murder. Investigative sources told NHK a gun seized at the scene appeared to be handmade.
The head of Japan's hunters' association says the firearm used in the shooting attack on former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo may have been a self-modified gun.
Police say a shotgun may have been used in the attack.
An NHK reporter's video footage shows what looks like a gun dropped on the ground near the scene where former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo was shot.
The reporter, who was covering Abe's campaign speech, says Abe started making speech alongside a candidate just before 11:30 a.m.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo reportedly remains in hospital without vital signs after being shot on the street in the western prefecture of Nara.
Police have arrested Yamagami Tetsuya for attempted murder. Investigative sources told NHK a gun seized at the scene appeared to be handmade. The 41-year-old suspect lives in Nara city where the shooting took place.
A woman who was at the scene where former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo was shot in western Japan says Abe collapsed right after a second gunshot.
She said she saw a man approaching from behind Abe as the former prime minister was delivering a speech. She said she didn't see anyone fall down after the first shot, which she said was very loud, but Abe collapsed as soon as the second shot came.
There have been several gun attacks on key figures, including politicians, in Japan in the past.
In 1992, a right-wing gunman fired shots at the Liberal Democratic Party's then-Vice President Kanemaru Shin, who was finishing a speech in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo. Kanemaru was uninjured.
Japan's top government spokesperson Matsuno Hirokazu told reporters that the former prime minister was shot at around 11:30 a.m. in Nara Prefecture.
Matsuno confirmed that a suspect has been taken into custody.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has been shot on the street in the western prefecture of Nara.
Police arrested a man at the scene.
Japanese artists are in the final stages of building huge paper lantern floats for one of Japan's most popular summer festivals, which is set to begin in the northern prefecture of Aomori in less than one month. The event is being held this year for the first time since 2019.
Aomori's Nebuta Festival features colorful floats depicting legendary heroes and samurai warriors. The annual event was canceled over the past two years, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Experts tasked with assessing the coronavirus situation in Tokyo have warned that the Japanese capital is now facing a rapid resurgence of coronavirus infections.
The capital's expert panel said on Thursday that the sharp increase in new coronavirus cases may seriously impact medical services in Tokyo.
A Japanese government spokesperson says policymakers have no intention right now to re-impose restrictions on people's movements despite a recent resurgence in new coronavirus cases.
More than 45,000 new infections were reported nationwide on Wednesday, almost double the figure from a week before.
Train passengers in the northern Japanese prefecture of Aomori are enjoying the sound of wind chimes, which heralds the arrival of summer.
The Tsugaru Railway runs a train adorned with wind chimes every summer so that visitors can hear the sound and feel relief from the summer heat.
Volunteers with visual impairments have taken part in a test run of a smartphone app designed to help them use train services safely.
The experiment was conducted at a station in Saitama Prefecture on Wednesday by Tobu Railways, a major insurance company and an app service developer. They hope to prevent falls and other accidents.