Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated on Friday by a gunman who opened fire at close range as the hugely influential politician delivered a campaign speech.
The murder of the 67-year-old, who had been Japan's longest-serving leader, stunned the nation and prompted an international outpouring of grief and condemnation.
It was all the more shocking given Japan's strict gun laws and low rates of violent crime, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida describing it as a "barbaric act" that was "absolutely unforgivable."
Mr Abe was shot shortly before noon while campaigning in the western region of Nara ahead of weekend upper house elections.
He was flown by helicopter to the Nara Medical University hospital where he was pronounced dead several hours later.
Professor Fukushima said Abe had suffered two gunshot wounds to the neck and died of massive blood loss, despite being administered a blood transfusion involving more than 100 units of blood.
"Resuscitation was administered. However, unfortunately, he died at 5:03 pm."
He had no vital signs when he was brought in.
'Lost for words'
A visibly emotional Kishida told reporters after Mr Abe's death was confirmed that he was "lost for words".
He earlier abandoned the campaign trail and flew to Tokyo by helicopter where in a quivering voice he condemned "a barbaric act during election campaigning, which is the foundation of democracy."
"It is absolutely unforgivable. I condemn this act in the strongest terms."
The attack occurred as Abe delivered a stump speech with security present, but spectators able to approach him easily.
Media crews gather in an area near Kintetsu Railway's Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara, after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot. Source: AAP / Kyodo
At least two shots appear to be fired, each producing a cloud of smoke.
As spectators and reporters ducked, a man was shown being tackled to the ground by security and he was arrested.
Local media identified the man as 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, citing police sources, with several media outlets describing him as a former member of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, the country's navy.
He was wielding a weapon described by local media as a "handmade gun", and NHK said he told police after his arrest that he "targeted Abe with the intention of killing him".
'A large bang'
Witnesses at the scene described shock as the political event turned into chaos.
"The first shot sounded like a toy bazooka," a woman told NHK.
"He didn't fall and there was a large bang. The second shot was more visible, you could see the spark and smoke."
Officials from the local chapter of Abe's Liberal Democratic Party said there had been no threats before the incident and that his speech had been announced publicly.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was taken to hospital after being reportedly shot at a campaign event. Source: AAP / Kazuhiko Hirano/AP
The attack prompted international shock, with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen tweeting that the "brutal and cowardly murder" had shocked the world.
"The deadly attack on Shinzo Abe has left me aghast and deeply sad," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol described the killing as an "unacceptable act of crime".
Rare event amid low levels of violent crime
Mr Abe held office in 2006 for one year and again from 2012 to 2020, when he was forced to step down due to the debilitating bowel condition ulcerative colitis.
He was a hawkish conservative who pushed for the revision of Japan's pacifist constitution to recognise the country's military and has stayed a prominent political figure even after his resignation.
Japan has some of the world's toughest gun-control laws, and annual deaths from firearms in the country of 125 million people are regularly in single figures.
Getting a gun licence is a long and complicated process for Japanese citizens, who must first get a recommendation from a shooting association and then undergo strict police checks.
Mr Abe had been delivering a stump speech at an event ahead of Sunday's upper house elections. Credit: Kazuhiko Hirano/AP/AAP
He noted that Japanese politicians and voters were used to a personal and close-up style of campaigning.
"This could really change," he said.
