Kishida said no decision had been taken on what effect the attack might have on the scheduled vote, though there were no immediate calls for its postponement.
Internationally, leaders were quick to offer support and express shock, with NATO’s chief condemning the “heinous” attack and Britain’s embattled Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying he was “appalled and saddened”.
HOW WELL-KNOWN WAS ABE?
Abe was Japan’s best-known politician, having served as prime minister for longer than any other leader.
He resigned from office for the second time in August 2020, felled by poor health as his ulcerative colitis returned.
He was the youngest prime minister in Japan’s post-war period when he took office for the first time in 2006, age 52.
A third-generation politician groomed from birth by an elite, conservative family, Abe was known for hawkish, nationalist positions and his economic policy known as “Abenomics”.
He sought to cement Japan’s key alliance with Washington by pursuing a close personal relationship with then US president Donald Trump.
Abe was married to Akie Abe, 60, the daughter of a wealthy business family. The pair do not have children.
Akie Abe is known as a media-savvy backer of certain liberal causes including LGBT rights. She married Abe in 1987.