By Jessie Yeung, Rhea Mogul, Helen Regan, Rob Picheta, Amy Woodyatt, Ed Upright, Aditi Sangal, Adrienne Vogt and Elise Hammond, CNN
The suspect in the shooting of Shinzo Abe on Friday used a gun that he appears to have made himself, according to Japan's public broadcaster NHK, citing police.
The suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, is a Nara resident in his 40s, NHK reported, citing police sources.
The man did not attempt to run away, NHK reported. He is being held for questioning at Nara Nishi police station.
Police have arrested Tetsuya Yamagami, a Nara resident in his 40s, in relation to the shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, according to public broadcaster NHK, citing police sources.
The man did not attempt to run away, NHK reported. He is being held for questioning at Nara Nishi police station.
Video aired by NHK shows the moments surrounding Abe's collapse, with a loud bang eliciting shouts before police wrestled a man to the ground near where the former Prime Minister was standing.
Friday’s shooting of Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will change the country "forever," a security expert said.
“It’s not only rare, but it’s really culturally unfathomable,” Nancy Snow, Japan director of the International Security Industrial Council, told CNN. “The Japanese people can’t imagine having a gun culture like we have in the United States. This is a speechless moment. I really feel at a loss for words. I pray for the best for the former prime minister.
“What this will do to the national psyche of a people who move about freely and have a social contract with each other, that they will not resort to this type of violence … I am devastated thinking about that.”
Snow said Japan has been an “oasis” and had “shown what it can teach the US about guns.”
“I think (Friday’s shooting) will change Japan, unfortunately forever,” she said.
The shooting of Shinzo Abe has shocked Japan, which has one of the lowest rates of gun crime in the world due to its extremely strict gun control laws.
In 2018, Japan only reported nine deaths from firearms, compared with 39,740 that year in the United States.
Under Japan's firearms laws, the only guns permitted for sale are shotguns and air rifles — handguns are outlawed. But getting them is a long and complicated process that requires strenuous effort — and lots of patience.
To buy a gun in Japan, potential buyers must attend an all-day class, pass a written test and a shooting-range test with an accuracy of at least 95%. They also must undergo mental health evaluation and drug tests, as well as a rigorous background check — including a review of their criminal record, personal debt, involvement in organized crime and relationships with family and friends.
In 2019, only an estimated 310,400 guns were held by civilians in Japan, in a country of 125 million people.
In 2007, the mayor of Nagasaki in southern Japan, Iccho Ito, died after being shot at least twice in the back by an alleged gangster. Since then, Japan has furthered tightened its gun control law, imposing heavier punishments for gun crimes committed by members of organized crime gangs.
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From CNN’s Junko Ogura in Tokyo
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno has confirmed that former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot at around 11:30 a.m. in Nara.
His condition is not known, and "we are checking the situation," Matsuno told reporters at an emergency news briefing at the Prime Minister's office.
Matsuno added that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who was on a tour of official engagements, was immediately informed. Kishida will return to his office urgently, and is scheduled to speak later today.
Ministers in various parts of the country have been instructed to return to Tokyo immediately, said Matsuno. Relevant ministries and agencies have held a meeting to deal with the situation.
“Such barbaric behavior is unacceptable for any reason and we firmly condemn it. The government will take all possible measures to deal with the situation,” said Matsuno.
Video footage aired by Japan's public broadcaster NHK captures the moments leading up to and after Abe's collapse.
The former Prime Minister was on the street speaking to a small crowd, delivering a campaign speech, when a loud bang is heard. The camera shakes, with shouts heard. Moments later, police can be seen wrestling a man to the ground.
Another video aired by NHK shows smoke in the air in the moments surrounding Abe's collapse.
Police have arrested a man on suspicion of attempted murder and retrieved a gun, according to NHK.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was conscious and responsive while being transported to the hospital after the possible shooting, according to Japan's public broadcaster NHK, citing police sources.
An aerial photo from Nara city on Friday shows Abe being taken to the hospital via helicopter. Abe is seen lying on a stretcher, surrounded by several people.
The former Prime Minister was in Nara on Friday giving a speech in support of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidates, ahead of Upper House elections scheduled for Sunday, when the apparent shooting occurred.
Photos taken before Abe collapsed show him speaking on the street, with onlookers and passersby clearly visible around him.
An official from the Nara City Fire Department has confirmed to CNN that former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest when he collapsed while giving a campaign speech in Nara.
Abe was rushed to hospital on Friday after he was shot in the chest during a speech public broadcaster NHK reported, citing an official of the Liberal Democratic Party Abe faction.
His condition is unknown, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said, according to Reuters.