The mayor of the Japanese city of Nagasaki has died hours after being gunned down by a suspected gangster.
Itcho Ito, 61, was seeking re-election to a fourth term in an election on Sunday.
He was shot at least twice in the back outside his campaign office yesterday evening. Doctors said two bullets had reached his heart.
Mr Ito's death sent shock waves across a nation where gun control laws are strict and violent attacks on politicians are infrequent.
Police have arrested Tetsuya Shiroo, 59, who they said was a senior member of a local gang affiliated with Japan's largest 'yakuza' group, the Yamaguchi-gumi, and seized a revolver he had with him.
The motive for the shooting remained unclear, and police declined to comment on details of the case.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe denounced the shooting, as media expressed concern that the death would stifle freedom of speech in the campaigns for the local elections across Japan on Sunday.
