"Former Prime Minister Abe was shot dead around 11:30 am," Hirokazu Matsuno, chief of cabinet in the western Nara region, told reporters.
“A man believed to be the shooter has been taken into custody. Former Prime Minister Abe's condition is currently unknown.”
"Whatever the reason, such a barbaric act can never be tolerated and we condemn it in the strongest terms," Matsuno added.
Abe was fighting for his life on Friday after being shot at a campaign rally, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida later said, condemning the "absolutely unforgivable" attack.
"Abe was shot dead in Nara and I was told that he is in a very serious condition," Kishida told reporters after arriving by helicopter from Tokyo's campaign trail.
"I pray that former Prime Minister Abe survives," said the clearly emotional leader.
It is a barbaric campaign act that forms the basis of democracy and it is absolutely unforgivable. I condemn this act in the strongest possible terms.”
Local media, including national broadcaster NHK and Kyodo news agency, said Abe appeared to be in "cardiorespiratory arrest," a term commonly used in Japan, before a feared death can be officially confirmed by a coroner.
The attack on a man who is perhaps Japan's best-known politician comes despite the country's notoriously low level of violent crime and strict gun laws, and with politicians campaigning ahead of Sunday's upper house election.
Abe, 67, had made a blunt speech in the presence of security forces, but bystanders were able to approach him fairly easily.
Footage broadcast by NHK showed him standing on a stage when a loud explosion filled the air with smoke.
As viewers and reporters ducked, a man was shown being dragged to the ground by security forces.
Local media, citing police sources, identified the man as 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, with multiple outlets describing him as a former member of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, the country's navy.
Witnesses at the scene described the shock as the political event turned to chaos.
"He was giving a speech and a man came from behind," a young woman told NHK.
"The first shot sounded like a toy bazooka. He didn't fall and there was a big bang. The second shot was more visible, you could see the spark and the smoke," she added.
"After the second shot, people surrounded him and gave him cardiac massage."
Abe was bleeding from the neck, witnesses said and showed photos. He was reportedly responsive at first but then lost consciousness.
Abe's Liberal Democratic Party branch officials said there had been no threats before the incident and his speech had been publicly announced.
The attack caused an international shock.
This is a very, very sad moment," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters at a G20 meeting in Bali, saying the United States is "deeply saddened and deeply concerned."
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha was "extremely shocked" by Abe's shooting, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "deeply shaken" by the news.
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