Police believe attacker bore grudge against Abe as some critics question level of security surrounding Japan’s longest-serving PM

• Shinzo Abe – a life in pictures

Sorrow and disbelief descended on Japan after Shinzo Abe – the former prime minister and a towering political figure – was shot dead while giving a campaign speech on Friday morning.

Abe, 67, was pronounced dead early in the evening, prompting a flood of tributes from current and former world leaders, and anger that a politician could be gunned down in broad daylight in one of the world’s safest societies two days before an election.

This blog has now closed.

• Shinzo Abe, Japan’s former prime minister, dies after being shot
• A loss for the world’: leaders unite in condemning assassination

Japan has close to “zero-tolerance” of gun ownership – an approach that experts say contributes to its extremely low rate of gun crime. There were six reported gun deaths in Japan in 2014, according to the National Police Agency, and the number rarely exceeds 10, in a country of 126 million people. In 2006, just two people were killed in gun attacks.

The 1958 law on the possession of swords and firearms states: “No one shall possess a firearm or firearms or a sword or swords.”

Among the few exceptions are shotguns for hunting and sport. Even then, prospective owners must attend classes and pass written and practical exams. They must then undergo psychological assessments to determine they are fit to own a firearm. Police background checks are exhaustive and even involve questioning the gun owners’ relatives.

Civilian ownership of handguns is banned. The few violations reported in the media usually involve members of the country’s yakuza crime syndicates. According to police, there were 21 arrests for the use of firearms in 2020, with 12 of them gang-related, Nikkei Asia reported.

Here is some further reaction from Australia.

US praises former Japanese leader’s ‘great vision’, while Iran calls shooting an ‘act of terrorism’

From Washington to Tehran, Seoul to Kyiv, political leaders around the world have condemned the assassination of the former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, and paid tribute to the country’s longest-serving leader.

Abe was shot while campaigning for parliamentary elections, and died in hospital several hours later. The US president, Joe Biden, said he was “stunned, outraged and deeply saddened” by the killing. “This is a tragedy for Japan and for all who knew him,” he said. “Even at the moment he was attacked, he was engaged in the work of democracy.”

The favourite may be the Abe continuity candidate but his background could not be more different

Nothing short of force majeure will prevent Yoshihide Suga from becoming Japan’s prime minister when the ruling Liberal Democratic party (LDP) elects a leader to replace Shinzo Abe this week.

As chief cabinet secretary for almost eight years, Suga has acted as the administration’s de facto second-in-command, batting away tricky questions at twice-daily press briefings, advising Abe on policy and reining in Japan’s recalcitrant bureaucracy.

Japan's longest-serving prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has announced his resignation, citing ill-health. His departure marks the end of an unusual era of stability in which the Japanese leader struck up strong ties with the US president, Donald Trump, even as Abe's ultra-nationalism riled the Koreas and China. Although he pulled Japan out of recession, the economy has been battered anew by the coronavirus pandemic

• Japan PM Shinzo Abe quits over health concerns
  

Surprise development comes after Japanese officials were unable to quash speculation following two recent hospital visits by the prime minister

Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, is set to announce his resignation later on Friday, according to public broadcaster NHK, amid growing concerns about his health after he made two hospital visits in the space of a week.

Officials from the governing Liberal Democratic party (LDP) had earlier attempted to quash speculation that Abe may be unable to serve out his term, which was due to end in September 2021, as rumours swirled around the state of his health.

Analysts say Abe has benefited from a weak opposition and a desire for stability among voters

Shinzo Abe has become Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, but the milestone came amid a political scandal and doubts over his ability to realise his dream of revising the country’s postwar “pacifist” constitution.

Abe has spent a total of 2,887 days as leader during two periods in office, beating the previous record set by Taro Katsura more than a century ago.