Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan in 2006 and between 2012 and 2020, was reportedly shot in the back at chest height during a Liberal Democratic Party rally, falling unconscious to the ground.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was this Friday the target of an attack during a rally in the city of Nara, and shows no signs of life, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK, citing a source from the local fire department.

Shinzo Abe was attending a Liberal Democratic Party (PLD) election rally for the July 10 parliamentary elections when shots were heard, state broadcaster NHK and the Kyodo news agency said.

Abe, 67, was transported by ambulance to a hospital near Kintetsu Yamato-Saidaiji station, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper added.

A reporter for this daily publication said that after hearing the sound of a gunshot, the former Prime Minister fell to the ground unconscious.

A PLD source told the Japanese news agency Jiji that the Japanese politician was bleeding from the neck. Neither the PLD nor local police confirmed the information when contacted by France-Presse news agency (AFP).

Broadcaster NHK reported, in turn, that when Shinzo Abe was transported to the hospital, he appeared to be in cardiac arrest - a term used in Japan to indicate the absence of signs of life, AFP noted.

Several media outlets reported that Abe was reportedly shot in the back.

NHK also reported that a man about 40 years old was detained and a firearm seized, but did not release details about the alleged suspect.

Shinzo Abe was in office as Prime Minister of Japan in 2006 for one year and again from 2012 to 2020. The longest time a Prime Minister has held the position. In 2020 he resigned from office for health reasons. (Lusa)