The mayor of the Japanese city of Nagasaki died early on Wednesday after being shot by a member of a criminal syndicate, police said. Itcho Ito, 61, seeking re-election for a fourth term on Sunday, was shot at least twice in the back outside his campaign office just before 8 p.m. (1100 GMT) on Tuesday. Police arrested Tetsuya Shiroo, 59, a senior member of a local gang affiliated with Japan's largest crime syndicate, the Yamaguchi Gumi, and seized a revolver he had with him.The motive for the shooting remained unclear, but public broadcaster NHK said Shiroo was upset at the city's handling of a traffic accident four years ago in which his car was damaged as it passed a public works construction site.
Ito's death comes as a shock to the residents of Nagasaki, as his predecessor was also shot and seriously injured in 1990 by a right-wing group member after making comments that Emperor Hirohito should be held liable for war responsibilities. After an emergency operation that lasted for around four hours, Ito was kept alive for some time by an artificial heart and lungs but died at 2:28 a.m. (1728 GMT) due to loss of blood, a police spokesman said. Doctors had told a news conference that two bullets had reached his heart.