Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated earlier Friday during a campaign speech in Nara, a city in the western part of Japan.
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Local broadcaster NHK reported Abe was shot in the chest and a male suspect was detained at the scene.
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Abe served as prime minister of Japan and president of the Liberal Democratic Party from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020.
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He was known for his aggressive financial and economic policies, dubbed “Abenomics,” which relied on monetary easing and strong fiscal policies to aid growth and development among the country's aging population.
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U.S. premarket equity index futures dropped following the reports. S&P 500 futures fell 0.36% and Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 0.50%. In Europe, the Stoxx Europe 600 pared gains.