Former Japan PM Shinzo Abe declared dead hours after being shot during election campaign.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe passed away on Friday morning after he was shot during an election campaign earlier in the day, reported news agency AFP. Abe had collapsed during a speech in the western Japanese city of Nara.
After the attack Abe was showing "no vital signs" reported AFP. As per Japanese Fire officials , Abe was "not breathing", "heart stopped" while he was being airlifted to hospital after the gunshot wound, reported news agency Assosicated Press (AP).

Following the reports of attack on Abe, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and cabinet ministers returned back to Tokyo, the AP report quoted government's spokesperson as saying.
According to the Japan Times, the 67-years old politician was shot by a man from behind when the former was making a stump speech in Nara on Friday morning at 11:30 am after which the unidentified assailant was taken into custody by the Police. Japan's public broadcaster NHK news said that its reporter on the scene heard two consecutive bangs during the speech and saw Abe bleeding.

Shinzo Abe has been the longest serving Prime Minister of Japan who stepped down from the post in 2020 citing health reasons. He first took the office in 2006 becoming Japan's youngest prime minister since World War II. A year later he stepped down citing plagued by political scandals, voter outrage at lost pension records, and an election drubbing for his ruling party.

Abe again became the PM in year 2012.

Hailing from a wealthy political family, he was elected to Parliament in 1993 after his father's demise. Abe had rose to fame for adopting strong stance against North Korea after Japanese citizens were kidnapped by Pyongyang.