His death was first reported by Japan’s state broadcaster NHK.
Abe, 67, was speaking ahead of Japanese Upper House elections on Sunday.
Police say that Abe was shot from behind with a makeshift shotgun, according to local media.
A 41-year-old man, named as Tetsuya Yamagami, was arrested at the scene.
A cloud of smoke erupts from behind Abe before the video stops.
“Above all, he cared deeply about the Japanese people and dedicated his life to their service.
Even at the moment he was attacked, he was engaged in the work of democracy.”
He was heir to one of Japan’s political dynasties.
Abe’s father, Shintaro Abe, served as Japan’s foreign minister from 1982 to 1986.
In 1960, Abe’s grandfather Kishisurvived an assassination attemptin which he was stabbed six times.
