In a press conference, Nara University Hospital confirmed the death of the former Japanese ruler this morning. Death was declared at 5:03pm local time (9:03am in mainland Portugal), five hours after arriving at the hospital.
According to a doctor who attended the press conference, Shinzo Abe had “no more vital signs” when he arrived at the hospital. The two shots that hit the former head of government hit the neck, the right side, the chest and the left, reaching the heart.
The former prime minister bled “abundantly” and Several blood transfusions were done to save his life, the doctor said.
Shinzo Abe, 67, was Japan’s prime minister from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. Japan’s longest serving leader.
Current Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said this Friday that he “couldn’t find the words” to react to the death of Shinzo Abe. Kishida was Abe’s foreign minister before becoming head of the Japanese government.
Many world leaders and international organizations have condemned the attack on Shinzo Abe. In Portugal, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa says he is “shocked” by the killing.
“Shocked by the brutal assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the President expresses his respectful condolences to the Government of Japan and condemns this deplorable act of violence,” read a note released Friday. President page.
In turn, the Portuguese government condemned the attack and insisted that there was “no place for violence in politics”.
Violence has no place in politics. Portugal condemns attack on ex-PM #Shinzoabe And we reiterate our solidarity with all Japanese friends. Sending a message of support to Shinzo Abe’s family at this difficult time. https://t.co/TLJRFASsw7
— João Cravinho (@JoaoCravinho) July 8, 2022
“Portugal condemns the attack against former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and reiterates our solidarity with all Japanese friends.Foreign Minister Joao Gomez Gravinho said via Twitter.
On Twitter, the head of the European Commission mourned the death of the former head of government. “A wonderful person has died, a great democrat and defender of the multilateral world order. I mourn with his family, friends and all the Japanese people”, said Ursula van der Leyen.
A wonderful person, great democrat and champion of multilateral world order has passed away.
My condolences to his family, friends and all the people of Japan.
This cruel and cowardly murder @AbeShinzo Shocking the entire world. pic.twitter.com/ztSJnlDsi6
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) July 8, 2022
In Japan, political violence is rare and guns are heavily controlled. Assassinations were a common feature of domestic politics in the years before World War II, but have been virtually absent for the past seven decades.
The last assassination of a prominent political figure took place in 1960, when a radical nationalist stabbed the then leader of the Socialist Party of Japan, Inejiro Asanuma. At the local level, Nagasaki Mayor Kazunaga Ito was shot and killed by a mob in 2007.
For others, the country has the strictest laws in the world for buying and possessing firearms. In principle, even firearms are not allowed in the country, but there are some exceptions, such as weapons used in hunting.
However, there are many steps involved in purchasing and owning a firearm, from safety classes, multiple written tests, medical exams, and proof of physical and mental health or background checks.
According to the newspaper The New York Times, About 192 thousand firearms are registered in the country in 2020For example, the same number of guns registered in the US state of Alabama.
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