Police arrested the 41-year-old suspect, local media reports.
Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe was shot twice at an event in the western city of Nara. Abe, 67, was seen lying in a pool of blood before being taken to the hospital. He is said to be in cardiopulmonary arrest, a term often used in Japan before death is officially confirmed.
Local media reported that police arrested a 41-year-old man from the scene concerning the shooting of Shinzo Abe.
Tetsuya Yamagami is believed to be a native of the city of Nara, where the shooting took place.
Onlookers at the scene said security officials immediately overpowered them after the shooting. It is being told that he had a homemade weapon.
Local media have reported that he is a former member of Japan‘s Maritime Self-Defense Force, the equivalent of the country’s navy.