External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said that he is "deeply shocked" by the news about the attack on former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a campaign event in western Japan and prayed for his recovery.
"Deeply shocked by the news about former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe. Join so many of his friends and admirers in India in praying for him and his family," he tweeted.
Earlier today Abe, 67, was rushed to hospital after he was shot at and collapsed at 11.30 am (local time) during a campaign speech in the western Japanese city of Nara ahead of Sunday's elections for Japan's upper house of Parliament.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he is "deeply distressed" over the attack on Abe and conveyed his prayers to his family.
"Deeply distressed by the attack on my dear friend Abe Shinzo. Our thoughts and prayers are with him, his family, and the people of Japan," PM Modi tweeted.
Recently, PM Modi met Abe in May during Quad Summit in Tokyo.
Initial media reports, citing authorities said that it appeared that Abe was shot at in the chest and described the condition of the former PM as in "cardiopulmonary arrest."
While the police authorities were nabbing the assailant, the man did not attempt to run away. Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida in his live address to the country said that the condition of Abe was grave.
"This is not a forgivable act," Kishida said adding that authorities would "take appropriate measures to handle the situation."
Meanwhile, Japanese Police have identified the suspect arrested for shooting the former Prime Minister as Tetsuya Yamagami, a 41-year-old resident of Nara City, according to local media.
Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, had stepped down in 2020 citing health reasons. He was prime minister of Japan twice, from 2006-07 and again from 2012-20. He was succeeded by Yoshihide Suga and later by Fumio Kishida.
Shinzo Abe shares a deep bond of friendship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi which was quite evident in the meeting between both leaders in the month of May. The meeting illustrated the huge goodwill and personal chemistry of PM Modi with the former Japanese PM.
He has visited India several times as prime minister. During his tour in 2007, Abe quoted Mughal Prince Dara Shikoh in the Indian Parliament highlighting the link between the Indian and the Pacific Ocean.
In 2014, Abe was the chief guest at the 65th Republic Day parade, becoming the first premier of Japan to grace the occasion. During his visit, the two countries also inked as many as eight agreements, including those to promote tourism, enhance energy efficiency in telecom towers and power generation in India. Abe also performed 'Ganga Aarti' with PM Modi in Varanasi in 2015.
( With inputs from ANI )
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