Shinzō Abe

Shinzo Abe, a former prime minister of Japan and a serving member of the House of Representatives, was assassinated on 8 July 2022 while speaking at a political event outside Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara City, Nara Prefecture, Japan. While delivering a campaign speech for a Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidate, he was shot from behind at close range by a man with a homemade firearm. Abe was transported by medical helicopter to Nara Medical University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami (in Japanese, 山上 徹也), then 41 years old, was arrested at the scene. His charge of attempted murder was later revised to murder after Abe's death. Yamagami told investigators that he held a grudge against the Unification Church over his mother's bankruptcy and had shot Abe out of a belief that he was close to the group. He accused Abe of spreading the church's influence in Japan.

Leaders from many countries praised Abe's accomplishments while expressing shock and dismay at his death. His assassination was the first of a former Japanese prime minister since Saitō Makoto and Takahashi Korekiyo during the February 26 Incident in 1936.