Shinzo Abe, the former Japanese Prime Minister, was fatally shot on Friday while attending a political event in the city of Nara, according to state media reports. He was pronounced dead later at the hospital, hours after being rushed to Nara Medical University for treatment.

Witnesses reported hearing gunshots in the apparent attack in Nara. Officials later announced that Abe was shot from behind and had a wound on the right side of his neck.

Who is Shinzo Abe?

Shinzo Abe was born in Japan’s national capital Tokyo on September 21, 1954. He went on to become one of the most prominent and longest-serving politicians in the country so far.

Abe graduated from the Department of Political Science, the Faculty of Law, Seikei University in 1977. Nearly two years later, he joined Kobe Steel, Ltd. He officially entered Japan’s political sphere in 1982, when he took over the office of the Executive Assistant to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan.

Shinzo Abe entered electoral politics in 1993, which served as a launchpad for him. He was elected as a member of the Japanese House of Representatives. He won seven such elections. Shinzo Abe contested the elections from Yamaguchi’s 4th district, which included the cities of Shimonoseki and Nagato.

Over the years, Shinzo Abe held multiple crucial posts in the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japanese government. These include Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, LDP Secretary-General, Acting Secretary-General and Chairman of Reform Promotion Headquarters and Chief Cabinet Secretary.

In 2006, Shinzo Abe took over the President of the LDP and became the Prime Minister of Japan. However, he later resigned from his position after various controversies were linked to his cabinet. He again became the Prime Minister of Japan in 2012.

After becoming the longest-serving Prime Minister of Japan in 2020, resigned from the Prime Minister’s office citing his health concerns. He had reportedly suffered for many years from ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease, but he said his condition had worsened recently.