Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe died on July 8 after being shot while giving a campaign speech on a street in central Japan, CNN reported, citing public broadcaster NHK.
Japanese publication Nikkei also reported that Abe, 67, has died, citing sources close to him, CNBC noted.
Abe, who was Japan's longest-serving prime minister, was campaigning on behalf of the governing LDP ahead of July 10 elections for the country's upper house.
Current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the attack was "a despicable and barbaric act that took place in the midst of an election, which is the foundation of democracy," adding that it is still being investigated. The incident has sent shockwaves through Japan, a country where gun violence is extremely rare.
Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, held office in 2006 for one year and again from 2012 to 2020, when a medical condition forced him to resign, HongKongFP noted. He was a conservative who pushed for the revision of Japan's pacifist constitution to recognize the country's military.
Japan has some of the world's toughest gun-control laws.