Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was pronounced dead on Friday after being shot twice by an ex-Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) worker while he was delivering a speech in the western prefecture of Nara.
The death of Abe has sent shock waves around Japan where gun crime is rare. The shooting was quickly condemned in the "strongest terms" by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida who after returning to his office in Tokyo by helicopter from Yamagata Prefecture where he was campaigning, called the shooting "barbaric."
Abe started his political career in 1982 when he served as an assistant to the minister of foreign affairs.
He has since been elected to the House of Representatives nine times starting from 1993.
He also once served as director of the Social Affairs Division of the LDP, deputy chief Cabinet secretary, secretary general of the LDP, and chief Cabinet secretary.
He served as prime minister from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020, but stepped down from his post due to a chronic intestinal disease, becoming the nation's longest-serving prime minister by number of consecutive days in office on Aug. 24, 2020.
Abe announced on Aug. 28, 2020 that he would step down from his post due to health concerns.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service
