describes what they are doing today. thank you both very much for your contributions this morning. thank you for being on. it is just past 9:00 a.m. on the east coast. 6:00 a.m. out west. we start the fourth hour of morning joe with breaking news from overseas. former japanese prime minister shinzo abe has died after he was shot twice sat a campaign event earlier today in japan. assassinated. abe had just started a speech in the western city of narra when a gunman opened fire with what appeared to be a home made gun. he was airlifted to a hospital where he later died. officials say the suspected gunman has been taken into custody. let s go live to beijing. joining us now, nbc news correspondent janis mackey frayer. what is the latest and the reaction in japan? reporter: well, former
one gun-related death. just one. most guns are illegal. they are incredibly difficult to come by. any potential buyer needs to go through extensive background checks, through a very long, lengthy process. it speaks volumes, the fact that this suspect used what authorities say was a home made gun. speaks volumes about the environment and the safety in japan, and also heartbreaking. alisyn. selina wang, thank you for all of that. let s bring in nic robertson, our cnn diplomatic editor, josh row rogan, cnn political analyst. and cecile shay at the chicago council of global affairs, and worked closely with abe, with the administration, i should say, during her time as a senior embassy official in tokyo. cecile, let me start there, and help us understand the shock waves that the world is experiencing today and why abe was such an important global
britain s cameron norrie japan s former prime minister shinzo abe has been shot dead in the street while giving an election speech. he was the country s longest serving post war prime minister. according to police, mr abe s attacker used a home made gun and fired two shots. world leaders have reacted with shock. us presidentjoe biden said he was stunned, outraged, and deeply saddened and india s prime minister narendra modi declared a day of national mourning. it all happend in nara, a city south west of tokyo. mr abe was shot near the railway station and flown by helicoper to hospital,
minister says abe is in critical condition and doctors are fighting to save his life. the fire department reports that abe was in a state of pulmonary arrest. they were quick to arrest the gunman, a plan in his 40s, saying he used a home made gun. we are live this hour in tokyo. what more can you tell us? you just heard the booming gunshots ring out in the video you just played. japanese broadcaster reporting former prime minister shinzo abe was shot, once in the chest and one on the right side of his neck. it happened this morning in the western city of nara. about an hour ago, the current prime minister held a press conference and addressed abe s current condition. take a listen. [speaking in foreign language]
that because obviously the stone walling has been incredible. those are devastating interviews you ve done and so important. shimon prokupecz thank you very much for all of the reporting that you re doing. japan s longest serving prime minister, shinzo abe is assassinated with a home made gun. it s shocking the world. cnn is in tokyo with the latest. pain hits fast. so get relief fast. only tylenol rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast for fast pain relief. and now get relief witht a pill with tylenol dissolve packs. reliefithout the water.