<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">A man has admitted assassinating the former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, police have said.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Mr Abe, 67, was shot twice from behind while giving a speech at a campaign rally in the western city of Nara.</div><div><br></div><div>He bled to death after sustaining two deep neck wounds that damaged an artery.</div><div><br></div><div>It is the first assassination of a sitting or former Japanese premier since the 1930s.</div><div><br></div><div>Named in media reports as 41-year-old Yamagami Tetsuya, the gunman appeared unemotional when talking to investigators and has been responding calmly to questions.</div><div><br></div><div>Explosives have been found at the unemployed suspect's home and officers are recommending nearby residents evacuate their homes.</div><div><br></div><div>Pictures from the scene show what appears to be a homemade firearm. It was made of a mix of materials including metal and wood, police said.</div><div><br></div><div>It remains unclear whether the parts for it were bought on the internet and if it was made on a 3D printer.</div><div><br></div><div>An image isolated on video appears to show him moments before the shooting took place.</div><div><br></div><div>Dressed in a grey T-shirt and beige trousers, he was wrestled to the ground by police.</div><div><br></div><div>He told investigators he spent three years working for Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force.</div><div><br></div><div>According to state broadcaster NHK, he told police he was unhappy with Mr Abe and intended to kill him.</div><div><br></div><div>But Kyodo News said he had not been motivated by a grudge against Mr Abe's political beliefs.</div><div><br></div><div>Major damage to the heart</div><div><br></div><div>Mr Abe had no vital signs when he arrived at Nara Medical University Hospital and was never revived after suffering major damage to his heart.</div><div><br></div><div>More than 100 units of blood were given during four hours of blood transfusions as Mr Abe haemorrhaged.</div><div><br></div><div>Mr Abe held his chest as he collapsed, his shirt smeared with blood. NHK showed footage of security guards running towards him.</div><div><br></div><div>A puff of white smoke was seen as he made a campaign speech outside a railway station ahead of elections to Japan's upper house on Sunday.</div><div><br></div><div>A reporter at the scene said they heard two consecutive bangs during Mr Abe's address.</div><div><br></div><div>Fumio Kishida, the prime minister, said the "act of brutality" was "absolutely unforgivable". He has asked all members of the cabinet to return to Tokyo.</div><div><br></div><div>Mr Kishida said a free and fair election is something that must be defended at all costs, and that campaigning will continue on Saturday.</div><div><br></div><div>Mr Kishida said he had great respect for Mr Abe's legacy.</div><div><br></div><div>'Absolutely unforgivable, no matter what the reasons are'</div><div><br></div><div>Political violence is rare in Japan, which has strict gun regulations.</div><div><br></div><div>In a nation of 125 million people there were only 10 gun-related criminal cases last year, resulting in one death and four injuries, according to police.</div><div><br></div><div>The majority of those cases - eight - were gang-related.</div><div><br></div><div>"A barbaric act like this is absolutely unforgivable, no matter what the reasons are, and we condemn it strongly," chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said.</div><div><br></div><div>Boris Johnson, the outgoing prime minister, said Mr Abe's death was "incredibly sad news".</div><div><br></div><div>Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said Mr Abe was a "wonderful person, great democrat and champion of the multilateral world order".</div><div><br></div><div>Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, said the "heinous act of violence has no excuse".</div><div><br></div><div>Mr Abe served two terms as prime minister - becoming Japan's longest-serving premier - before stepping down in 2020, saying a chronic health problem had resurfaced.</div><div><br></div><div>He has suffered from ulcerative colitis since he was a teenager.</div><div><br></div><div>He has remained a dominant presence in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, controlling one of its major factions. - Sky News</div><div><br></div><div><b>bnbd24/fas</b></div>