Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot dead while campaigning in the western city of Nara on Friday.
Eyewitnesses reported two shots.
Patrick Welter
Correspondent for business and politics in Japan based in Tokyo.
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Abe showed no signs of life, a local fire department official said.
The public television station NHK, citing the ruling Liberal Democrats (LDP), reported that Abe was unconscious and the situation was bad.
A government spokesman in Tokyo said Abe's health condition was unclear.
The police arrested the alleged perpetrator at the scene.
Abe campaigned for the Liberal Democrats ahead of Sunday's House of Lords election.
Longest tenure
Abe, 67, is Japan's longest-serving prime minister.
He ruled for one year until September 2007 and then again from December 2012 to September 2020 when he resigned due to ill health.
As head of the most important faction in the LDP, Abe continued to have a major influence on Japanese politics.
During his reign, he became internationally known for the aggressive, expansive economic policies of Abenomics.
Two schoolgirls, who watched the election rally from the roof of a high-rise building, told NHK television that Abe collapsed after the second shot.
The perpetrator did not try to run away.