Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe has died after being shot during a campaign speech, according to NHK television.
Mr Abe was shot from behind minutes after he started his speech on Friday in Nara in western Japan, it has been reported. He was airlifted to a hospital for emergency treatment but was not breathing and his heart had stopped. The 67-year-old was pronounced dead later at the hospital.
Mr Abe was Japan's longest-serving leader before stepping down for health reasons in 2020. Police arrested the suspected gunman at the scene of the attack, which shocked people in a country known as one of the world's safest.
