it is really quite downing street today compared to the last few days but that campaigning to be your next prime minister is under way. we will talk to supporters of some of those who are running or likely to run. hello and welcome if you re watching in the uk or around the world. the formerjapanese prime minister, shinzo abe has died after being shot while giving a speech at a campaign event. eye witnesses say mr abe was shot twice from behind while giving a speech in the street. the country s current prime minister fumio kishida has condemned the shooting calling it an act of brutality and world leaders have expressed their shock. a man was detained after the shooting, which happened in the city of nara in western japan. let s go straight to our correspondent mariko oi, who s in singapore. incredibly shocking, notjust because violence is so rare in japan, it has been for such a long time, it s very difficult to get hold of a gun but shinzo abe, we must remain our viewers,
shock to everyone injapan. he was a very influentialfigure, and even though he might not have been one of the most popular politicians in japan, especially amongst those on the left, this attack comes as a huge shock and we are now seeing a lot of pictures of him as a young child, because of course, his grandfather was a prime minister, and his father was a senior politician in the liberal democratic party as well, so a lot of very old footage of him, i guess, climbing up the political ladder, if you like of japanese politics and it has been played many times on local media as people remember his legacy. francis reed has the latest. it begins like any other political speech, but then, this. two shots ring out and shinzo abe. the ground. this is security apprehending the man suspected of firing the shots.
41 year old man who lives in the city of nara has been in police custody, courted by a couple of media reports saying he had disagreements with mr abe s policies and decided to attack him. this kind of violence is extremely rare and it comes as a huge shock to everyone in japan. and it has been confined by the ruling liberal democratic party that he has passed away. it is also shocking because political violence is incredibly rare in japan political violence is incredibly rare injapan as well. i ve just noticed world leaders around the world, very quick to come out and express their shock. he was notjust a popular leader injapan, he was a popular leader on the international stage. yes, i mean, a couple of decades ago japan was known for a revolving door of ministers, then shinzo abe, for
huge shock when we first heard the news he was shot at around 11:30am at local time this morning injapan. of course, japan has an upper house election coming up this sunday and thatis election coming up this sunday and that is why he was out in the streets giving a speech and supporting one of the candidates in the city. apparently the visit was only confirmed late last night, so how the suspect managed to find out about it and prepare his attack, that remains to be seen. but as you say, a suspect, a 41 year old man who lives in the city has been in police custody and has been quoted by a couple of local media reports saying that he had disagreements with shinzo abe s policies and decided to attack him but this kind of violence is extremely rare, so as you can imagine it comes as a huge shock to everyone injapan. he was a very influential figure,
second most powerful man injapan even after he resigned the premiership. even after he resigned the premiership- even after he resigned the premiership. he even after he resigned the remiershi. ~ , ., m premiership. why was that? he was the head of premiership. why was that? he was the head of the premiership. why was that? he was the head of the largest premiership. why was that? he was the head of the largest faction - premiership. why was that? he was the head of the largest faction of. the head of the largest faction of the head of the largest faction of the ruling party, 95 lawmakers who are basically directly loyal to him inside the japanese parliament. that was part of it. he definitely represented a certain point of view, which was the hard right conservative point of view that was very eager to have japan revise its constitution and re militarise and be deeply engaged in security affairs in east asia. and for those who supported those views and support those views, he w