blake essig is joining us along with selena -- just blake this morning. thank you, blake. held a news conference. what new have we learned from that news conference with doctors? >> reporter: devastating news here in japan. doctors at nara medical university hospital have confirmed that japanese prime minister, former prime minister, shinzo abe has died after being shot twice, one in the chest and once in the neck. doctors treating him said that he was bleeding profusely and that the bullet that killed him was deep enough to reach his heart. in fact theres said by the time he reached the hospital, his heart had already stopped. doctors say that they face addictity -- a difficult time stopping the bleeding and was actually the reason -- it was that loss of blood that abe ended up dying from. now, the shooting happened while delivering a speech around 11:30 this morning local time in the western city of nara. several hours after the shooting current prime minister fumio kishida did hold a press conference to say that shinzo abe was in critical condition and doctors were figh

cnn's blake essig has more. porter: laura, japanese public broadcaster nhk is reporting that former japanese prime minister shinzo abe has been shot in the chest while delivering a speech around 11:30 this morning local time in nara. abe was rushed to the hospital as you mentioned, and i've personally seen one report on nhk saying that he wasn't conscious while he was being taken away. he was there in japan's western city delivering a stump speech ahead of the upper house elections set for this sunday here nationwide in japan. abe is japan's longest-serving prime minister, known for his nationalist views and economic policies. he was first elected in 2006 and then again in 2012, 2014, and finally in 2017 before stepping down in august 2020 because of health reasons. again, still very little information that we know about the condition or exactly what happened in nara with the former prime minister. but what we do know, nhk reports that he was rushed away, that gunshots were heard. i've also seen reports that ther

. >> blake essig from tokyo, our thanks to you. and we are going to stay on this story, i want to welcome david sanger, form "new york times" tokyo bureau chief. thank you for joining us. so, we are learning that the former prime minister of japan, shinzo abe shot twice in the chest. he collapsed, went into cardiac arrest. what's your reaction? >> well, first, this is incredibly rare in japan. i lived in japan as a correspondent and "the times" bureau chief from 1988 to 1994, just as abe shinzo was first getting aelected to the -- to the japanese diet. knew him as a young politician. and if there were any shootings in japan at that time, they were usually ya cue sa, you know, organized crime groups that were shooting each other, but the idea of political assassination? almost unheard of, as gun fire is so rarely heard of in japan. >> and interesting, you say that, you know, political assassinations, you have to go back to the '30s -- >> that's right. >> to even think of a time when that may have happened and interestingly so, in th

. >> let's get right to cnn's blake essig who is in tokyo with the very latest. blake, what can you tell us? >> reporter: brianna, john, devastating news here in japan. doctors at nara medical university hospital have confirmed that japanese -- former japanese prime minister shinzo abe has died after being shot twice, once in his chst and once in his neck. doctors treating former prime minister said that his heart had actually stopped by the time that he reached the hospital, they said that he was bleeding profusely and that the bullet that killed abe was deep enough to reach his heart. doctors say that they faced a difficult time stopping that bleeding and it was ultimately that loss of blood that abe died from. doctors also said that anywhere between 10 and 20 doctors were trying to treat the former prime minister and that the bullet wound, although they were able to find the bullet wound on the front of the former prime minister's neck and a large wound around his heart, ultimately, again, they were not able to stop the blood and he has since died as a result o

let's go back to cnn's blake essig live in tokyo. what more do we know? reporting that shinzo abe has been shot two times. once in the chest and once in the neck. that was confirmed by the fire and disaster management agency. he was shot while delivering a speech around 11:30 this morning local time in the western city of nara. according to the current prime minister, who gave a press conference, abe is currently in critical condition. undergoing emergency fremont treatment. called today's shooting an unforgivable about. abe was conscious after the shooting. he was bleeding from his chest. and in a state of cardiac arrest. witnesses say abe was shot from behind. he didn't collapse after the first shot rang out, but did collapse before receiving cpr. the suspect, a man in his 40ed, has been arrested in possession of what nhk is describing as a handmade gun. and witnesses say the suspect did not attempt to run after firing his weapon. he was arrested on the spot, before being taken to the police station for questioning. abe was there in japan's western city

blake essig is live in tokyo.cribe that scene for us. >> reporter: it is a sad day here in japan and even the weather, gray skies and a little rain, seems to be reflecting the mood as japan says good-bye and lays to rest its longest serving prime minister, a man who first served in parliament in 1993. would go on to become both a popular leader and polarizing figure who is most important responsible in a big way for the japan that exists today. funeral services were held here in tokyo similar to the closed door vigil, it was also limited to only close family and friends. and then the body travelled in procession to the prime minister's office, the diet and ldp headquarters before heading to the funeral hall to be cremated. and he visited those specific locations because japanese culture, sometimes the body will be driven by places where the deceased was heavily associated to so that people can bid farewell. we saw his first pass by japan's parliament, hundreds lined the streets including children, people who looke

. >> blake essig is following developments for us from tokyo. so we have threat ints from bei, hand wringing in waufshington. and we still don't know whether or not heshe is going to taiwan. >> we do know the prospect of her visit has infuriated china. it has vowed to take resolute and forceful measures fortif th trip goes ahead. this was the backdrop for a more than two-hour phone call between president biden and xi jinping. during the call, xi said china strongly opposes taiwan independence and china says those who play with fire will perish by it. if the visit does occur, it will be the first visit by a high-ranking official in years. it's developing a security plan, moving ships and aircraft into the region to keep pelosi safe. military operation to get pelosi to taiwan would likely include ships or land-based assets with high-powered radars to provide a protective bubble around her airplane that could warn of any potential threats, although senior u.s. officials are saying no military assets at this point have moved toward taiwan. the u.s.

cnn's blake essig joins me now from tokyo. nt to ask you more about the heat wave in a moment. but of course the covid cases, which cities are we seeing the mass testing being rolled out again? >> reporter: well, lynda, look, to talk about both the heat and the zero covid strategy, the combination of that extreme heat and china's zero covid strategy aren't doing china's already strained healthcare system any favors. the good news is that temperatures are cooling, but it's still going to be hot for days to come. and that means millions of people who at times have waited outside in line for several hours in order to get tested for covid will continue enduring extreme temperatures. the same goes for the healthcare workers wearing full hazmat suits. the heat has caused problems. in one video, you can actually see residents lined up waiting to be tested for covid actually fanning healthcare workers who are sitting slumped over clearly suffering out there in the heat. now, nationwide, over the weekend, more than a thousand new locall

cnn's blake essig with the details. >> reporter: thousands of visitors flocked to this water park inlittle splash in the pool to cool off from the summer heat. japan has been battling a sweltering heat wave for more than a week. the capital just experienced its hottest june since recordkeeping began. >> translator: it got hot suddenly, and it's really tough. i usually keep the air-conditioner below 28 degrees celsius. it's so hot that i don't even want to walk around outside. i feel really terrible. >> reporter: people are doing whatever they can to stay cool. some carry around a personal fan while others enjoy a bit of ice cream. offices in tokyo even went dark for hours to try to conserve electricity. as the grid strains under the demand for mass air-conditioning. plus an earthquake forced some nuclear power plants to suspend operations back in march, which pushed japan's power supply to its limits. this as temperatures in the capital hit more than 100 degrees fahrenheit, or around 38 degrees celsius in recent days. >> translator: if there's a sudden power outage, we are going to h

let's begin now with cnn's blake essig who is live from tokyo with the latest. blake? >> reporter: brianna, just devastating news here in japan. doctors at nara medical university hospital have confirmed that former japanese prime minister shinzo abe has died after being shot twice, once in the chest and once in the neck while speaking at a campaign event earlier today. doctors treating abe said that he was bleeding profusely and that the bullet that killed him was deep enough to reach his heart, in the end about 20 doctors were fighting to save abe's life. they say they faced difficulty stopping the bleeding and it was that loss of blood that abe ended up dying from. now, the shooting happened while he was delivering a speech around 11:30 local time this morning in the western city of nara, several hours after the shooting visibly emotional current prime minister fumio kishida really encapsulated the emotions felt across japan. he was visibly upset, in tears almost, you know, as he talked about the current condition of former prime minister abe and went on to say that

let's take you live to tweak now and cnn's blake essig. the current prime minister of japan saying that abe's death is absolutely devastating. >> reporter: look, boris, today an absolutely devastating day across japan. and just in the past few hours, we've learned more about the suspect in the assassination of former prime minister shinzo abe. police say that the suspect, a 41-year-old unemployed man, has now admitted to shooting abe. he was arrested while in possession of what nhk, japan public broadcaster, describes as a homemade gun. police say that the man went after abe because he hates a certain group that he believed abe had ties to. that man is being investigated as a suspect for murder with 90 police investigators dedicated to this case. while a controversial figure here in japan and around the world for his policies at times, abe is also an incredibly important figure. and news of this shooting has absolutely shocked the nation and the world. during a press conference shortly after the shooting, the current prime minister really

blake essig is in tokyo this morning. what more do we know about this suspect and also what is the reaction throughout the country. >> reporter: hey, you know, jim, erica, i apologize, i cannot hear you right now. let me tell you about what we just learned, just moments ago. police have confirmed that the man believed to have shot former prime minister shinzo abe is a 41-year-old man, his home has been raided. he's unemployed. and police say that he went after the former prime minister because he believed that he was part of a group that he didn't like. while a controversial figure here in japan, and around the world, for his policies, abe really an incredibly important figure, and news of the shooting has absolutely sent shock waves across the nation and around the world. and the hours following the shooting, many have taken to social media to say they hoped he would pull through, and some calling today's shooting a barbaric act that shakes the root of democracy, saying that whether or not you agree with abe's political

cnn's blake essig has more on this. >> reporter: i'm blake essig in tokyo.on shelter has been set up and dozens have been urged to evacuate after mount sakurajima started erupting over the weekend. the volcano had been sending up smoke for about a week, but starting last night things escalated. cameras captured the volcano sending dark plumes of ash and cedar bombs flying through the air. at least one volcanic bomb traveled a mile and a half which prompted the japan meteorological agency to raise its alert level to a 5 out of 5. the agency's highest possible alert level. >> amazing pictures there. >>> we have a cnn exclusive this morning about concerns over chinese espionage. the fbi determined that equipment made by the chinese tech giant huawei could capture and disrupt some defense department communications here in the united states including those involving the nation's nuclear weapons. cnn's katie bo liiliis. broke this story. >> reporter: this this started with a counterintelligence investigation briefed to the trump white house in 2018. chinese made h

blake essig live in tokyo. appreciate it. >>> pope francis just arrived back home after a trip to canada. he made apologies and called the sexual abuse of minors in the canada catholic church evil. >>> there's mixed news from the eurozone. the continent saw stronger than expected gdp growth but inflation hit a record high. >> reporter: we are ending the week on a high? or are we. finally a glimmer of good news, and on a friday. much better than expected economic growth figures for italy, france and spain. a lot of that comes down to the reopening of the services sector post omicron surge, plus, finally, a decent summer of tourism. germany posted nil growth, no surprise there, given energy prices and an economy powered by energy-intensive factories that have also been hit by supply chain issues. a tweet said good news, euro are area outimpoperforms expectatio. the latest surveys were published. confidence in terms of industry, services, consumer, retail, construction, it's all pointing down. and spain, which had

blake essig is live for us this hour in tokyo. what do we know about his latest condition?rter: just moments ago we learned that former prime minister shinzo abe's brother the current minister of defense came out and has said that his brother is currently receiving a blood transfusion at the hospital there in nara, a western city in japan where the shooting took place, and he called the attack an affront o

blake essig live in tokyo for us. thank you so much. >>> for more on us i'm joined by a professor of management and information at the yun universi. thank you for being with us. i want to ask how is japan reacting to this loss? >> i think we're not even at a stage of trying to cope with this situation overall, but i would like to think, you know, there would be reaction particularly tomorrow when we have the upper house election coming up on sunday. you know, the voting ratio in japan has been extremely low, but i would like to think this would be a very good factor for people to go out there and vote because i do believe that, you know, voting is probably one of the best ways to sustain our democratic values and basically give an answer to this basically barbaric act of terrorism. >> do you think it would influence the election given we don't know which side the assassin was really on here? so how would voting help repudiation what was done? >> well, there will probably be obituary-type votings that would take place,

blake essig has been following it all from tokyo. >> reporter: it is a sad day here in japan and even the weather gray skies and a little bit of rain, raining right now, seems to be reflecting the mood as japan says good-bye and lays to rest its longest serving prime minister, a man who first served in parliament that building right there in 1993 and would go on to become both a popular leader as well as a polarizing figure who is certainly responsible in a big way for the japan that exists today. in terms of legacy, internationally abe will be remembered as a strong figure who was deeply admired as a skilled global statesman, and also boosting defense spending and pushing through the most dramatic shift in japanese military policy in 70 years. earlier today a funeral service for shinzo abe was held at a temple here in tokyo similar to last night's closed door vigil, the funeral service also limited to only close friends and family. abe's body was then traveled in a procession to the prime minister's office, the headquarters before heading to the funeral hall to be cremated. and in ja

blake essig joins me for more here from tokyo. this stifling heat, we are hearing temperatures of 40 degrees celsius and in cities making this all the more difficult for this mass testing to happen. sue and tine's healthcare system is already strained. the extreme heat is not helping put the good news here, temperatures are cooling, but still hot for some days to come. that means healthcare workers wearing full hazmat suits and millions of people who, at times, have been waiting outside in line for several hours to get tested for covid will continue to endure extreme temperatures. nationwide, over the weekend more than 1000 locally transmitted cases were reported across country. at least 16 provinces have reported new local cases in the past two weeks including the beach resort town of beihai in southern china where a snap lockdown of the begin has left more than 2000 tourists stranded . in this region more than 500 cases have been reported in the past week as a result of local government walking the parts of the city, ordered past

blake essig is joining us live. let's start there what we are learning about the accused killer. what can you tell us? >> reporter: earlier today we actually got a glimpse of the man suspected of murdering former prime minister shinzo abe when he was moved from a police station in nara where the assassination took place to the district prosecutor's office. it is important to note that even though he has admitted to the shooting at this point he has not been formally charged. but kyoto news has described him as totally ordinary, and that he seemed mild mannered. not exactly the characteristics of a man who was determined to assassinate the former prime minister, but according to nhk, the 41-year-old suspect considered carrying out the crime a day earlier at a different campaign event but decided against it because he was looking for a space that was led guarded. now, nhk is also reporting that the suspect told police that he had originally planned to kill abe using explosives before deciding to use a homemade gun instead. in the end as we know abe was shot twice from several meter

blake essig in tokyo. >>> shinzo abe had a reputation as a skilled statesman able to get along with most other world leaders including former president donald trump. even earned him the nickname the trump whisperer for seeming to know how to navigate trump's unpredictable nature. >> let me put it to you this way prime minister abe recognized the incredible importance of the u.s.-japan relationship. the alliance that the two countries have is critical to peace and stability in the asia pacific region. and the prime minister recognized that. and he recognized that it was important to deal with any president of the united states. so unlike some leaders in other countries, he did what he needed to do to maintain the relationship with trump, a different personality as you put it. and he was incredibly effective in that regard. and i think that had an immense positive impact on the relationship between our two countries. >> also said even though abe's assassination has shaken japan to the core, the country's strong and resilient and will get through it. >>> as a relatively close neighbor austr

blake essig is live for us this hour in tokyo. what do we know about his latest condition? >> reporter: just moments ago we learned that former prime minister shinzo abe's brother the current minister of defense came out and has said that his brother is currently receiving a blood transfusion at the hospital there in nara, a western city in japan where the shooting took place, and he called the attack an affront on democracy and suppression of freedom of speech. you played the video and we heard those two gunshots ring out. earlier today around 11:30 a.m. local time, nhk reported that shinzo abe had been shot twice, once in the chest and according to the fire and disaster management agency, once in the neck. it happened while delivering a speech, a stump speech around 11:30 this morning local time in western japan about an hour and a half, two hours ago the current prime minister held a press conference and addressed abe's current condition. take a listen. >> translator: first of all in the morning today in noara, i received the news that shinzo abe is shot and in critical

blake essig, thanks so much. >>> president biden got an unexpected boost in a flurry of activity in congressa look. there's the passage of the c.h.i.p.s. act that boosted the building of semi-conductors, a climate package passed by manchin and chuck schumer and an assault weapons ban latest. joning us is daniel lippman with "politico." daniel, good morning. let's start on the weapons ban that passed last night. it has almost no chance of passing a filibuster in the senate. who or what is standing in the way there? >> what's standing in the way is the ten republicans needed in the senate, and they're uniformly against this assaults weapons ban. their base voters are against it, and so there's no reason for them to see to give biden a win on this. and so they -- congress did pass that bipartisan, you know, gun reform bill a few weeks ago, but republicans are unwilling to take this extra step because, remember, when you're a politician in congress these days, the biggest worry you have is fighting off a primary, not in a general election. so that is something that is a no-go zone for republican

. >> absolutely, blake essig, please stand by in tokyo for us. thank you very much. >> the death of shinzo abe marks the end of an era in japanese and asian politics. abe had hoped to revitalize japan's economy during his recent eight-year run as prime minister. he was only partly successful with that. cnn's senior international correspondent will ripley looks back at the life and the legacy of japan's elder statesman. >> reporter: japan's longest serving prime minister, shinzo abe, had big dreams of a japanese comeback. a comeback marred by a series of setbacks. the tokyo 2020 olympics, abe's greatest achievement, japan spent billions only to see the games postponed by the coronavirus pandemic, the games were a cornerstone of abe's plan to revive a struggling economy, and transform japan into a global destination. abe promised a brighter future, a future looking bleak after 2011's massive earthquake, tsunami, and fukushima nuclear meltdown. abenomics was an ambitious plan to overhaul japan's economy with stimulus and reform, and it led to record

blake essig is live in tokyo. any damage or casualties? what can you tell us about this eruption?good news here is that there haven't been any reports of damage or injury as a result of this eruption, but of course as the volcano continues to erupt that could change. so far an evacuation shelter has been set up and dozens have been urged to evacuate after mount sakurajima a volcano in southern japan started erupting over the weekend. the volcano had been sending up smoke for about a week but starting last night things started to escalate around 8:00 p.m. local time on sunday video captured the volcano sending dark plumes of ash and red hot cinder blocks flying through the air. at least one volcanic bomb traveled a mile and a half which prompted the japan meet logic agency to raise the alert level to a 5 out of 5, the highest possible alert level. with the volcano continuing to erupt so far two communities home to 50 people have been urged to evacuate from the danger zone located within two miles of volcano's crater. while the meteorological agency has said that large-scale eruptio

cnn's blake essig is joining me from tokyo with more.s and how many people could be affected by this? >> reporter: christina, the reality is scientists can't predict just how dangerous this possibly could be, but a large scale eruption of course is possible and if that happens hundreds of thousands of people could be at risk. mount sakurajima erupted last night sending plumes of ash, hot cinder blocks known as ballistic volcanic bombs flying through the air, more smoke seen this morning. so far two communities home to 15 people vr urged to evacuate located within two miles or three kilometers of the volcano's crater. at this time one evacuation center has been set up and is housing two dozen people. the good news is that so far there haven't been reports of damage or injury as a result of the ongoing eruptions but as the volcano continues to erupt that could change and if it does there is a big concern for the roughly 600,000 people who currently live just outside of the danger zone in places like kagoshima city. those residents have bee