[Japan Times] BREAKING: Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been shot in the city of Nara, NHK reports.

25 comments

1. This is WILD. What the heck.

2. Unbelievable really

3. Unbelievable. Today has just been one breaking news event after another.

4. What the actual fuck man. In disbelief over this

5. NHK is saying he is suffering from cardiopulmonary arrest

6. Man in custody

7. NHK reports he has no vital signs

8. From the reporting, it seems as though he has likely died but they are not officially declaring that yet.

9. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!

10. Unlikely anyone can survive 2 shots with shotgun point blank from the back

11. What.

    Fuckin.. why?

12. My wife immigrated from Japan in late 2020 and after being in her new world of Americas guns and violence, she is really in shock right now.

    Having been to Japan to meet her 4 years ago, this is fucking insane to know this happened in Japan where I couldn’t even give my future father in law a hand crafted family knife as a gift due to strict weapon Japanese laws after WW2. So the the fact that this guy somehow snuck a homemade shotgun in broad daylight is just…. beyond unreal

13. The first Japanese friend I talked to said “he was hated and his policies made many people kill themselves so this is his own fault.”

    Wtf

14. OMG, an assassination in Japan? WHAT THE HELL?!

15. American here. I was no great fan of Abe, from what little I knew of him, but seeing an act of brazen political violence is frightening for anyone interested in the health of a fellow democracy.

    Here’s hoping he pulls through, but I sincerely doubt it. I am licensed as an EMT, and while I’ve never treated a gunshot wound, the way this is being described leaves me very little optimism that he’ll make it. I think at this point the best thing to do is give best wishes and condolences to his family and friends.

16. What could have been the motive?

17. I don’t give a shit about his politics. This is shooting and killing an old man from behind. Absolutely disgusting.

18. Wild week for PM or former pms it seems

19. I am absolutely shocked. One that this happened in Japan and two that someone would try to kill a former head of state in such a shit way. Shooting anyone is fucking shitty. If you don’t like his politics kill him with your vote. Vote his party out.

20. We were just in Nara at that station 3 days ago. O_o Holy snap. This is the last thing I expected in Japan…

21. It’s shocking his bodyguards had failed so terribly to protect him. I saw the video. They were shocked as chicken and allowed the gunman enough time to shot twice. Praying for Abe!

22. Isn’t it next to impossible to have a gun in Japan unless you are Yakuza?

23. As much as I dislike Abe, this is a sad loss of life and it sets a dangerous precedent where high profile figures will isolate themselves further away from the general public.

24. I gotta say…The world has been crazy lately, but this by far my be the most surprising.

25. Dead