The broadcaster reported Abe collapsed while giving a speech in Nara City at around 11:30 a.m. local time and appeared to be bleeding after a possible gunshot from the back.
According to a Liberal Democratic Party official, Abe was shot in the chest before being rushed to hospital in an ambulance, NHK reported. The former prime minister was then moved to Nara Medical University.
A suspect has been arrested and charged with attempted murder, the broadcaster reported.
CNN has not yet been able to independently verify these reports.
Former Liberal Democratic Party leader, Abe is Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, holding office from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020, before resigning due to health reasons.
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