Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was injured during a public speech in the city of Nara on Friday, the NHK television reported.
The politician was shot at around at 11:30 a.m. local time. The attacker shot two times, reportedly wounding Abe in the chest.
The ex-PM was rushed to the Nara University hospital.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno confirmed that police had arrested a suspect, who had opened fire. The attacker was identified as 41-year-old Yamagami Tetsuya.
