former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shot dead

These are the last images of Shinzo Abe, Friday, July 8, during a campaign rally. Two shots ring out. Panic scene. Immediately, the security forces neutralize the shooter and tackle him to the ground. On the pavement lies the weapon, of homemade manufacture. The 67-year-old former Prime Minister is on the ground, hit by two bullets in the neck. When he was transferred by helicopter to Nara hospital, he already showed no signs of life. “We tried to resuscitate him, in vain. He died at 5:03 p.m.”, announced Hidetada Fukushima, professor at Nara Hospital. In this country where gun violence is extremely rare, there is consternation. And the condemnations are unanimous. “It was in the middle of the electoral campaign, the basis of our democracy, that this act of cowardice his name happened. I have no words strong enough to condemn the unforgivable”said Fumio Kishida, current Japanese Prime Minister.

The image of the alleged perpetrator was captured a few minutes before his act. 41 years old, he is a former soldier. When arrested, he said he didn’t like Shinzo Abe’s policies. The latter had the record of longevity in power in Japan, from 2012 to 2022, before resigning for health reasons. A divisive personality and fierce supporter of the multilateral order, close to the United States, all the world leaders he met are in shock. Like the Japanese who came to meditate at the scene of the assassination.