Foreign Affairs Chief Enrique Manalo has expressed his shock and dismay over the shooting of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The new DFA chief is hopeful that Abe will recover soon.
“It is with great shock and dismay that I learned of the shooting of former Prime Minister ABE Shinzo on 08 July 2022 in Nara. I extend my deep sympathy and pray for his early recovery,” Manalo said in a tweet.
In an AFP report, Abe was showing no vital signs after apparently being shot at a campaign event in the Nara region on Friday, local media reported.
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“Former prime minister Abe was shot at around 11:30 am in Nara. One man, believed to be the shooter, has been taken into custody. The condition of former prime minister Abe is currently unknown,” chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters.
Abe was apparently bleeding on the neck when he collapsed while making a speech.
NHK and Kyodo both reported Abe was taken to hospital and appeared to be in cardio-respiratory arrest.
Abe was Japan’s longest serving prime minister from 2012 to 2020.
