Japan has said goodbye to the country’s longest-serving prime minister, Shinzo Abe, who was shot dead during an election campaign last week.
Long lines of people lined up outside the Zojoji temple in Tokyo to pay their respects to the man who dominated Japanese politics for decades.
The assassination of a 67-year-old man by an unemployed man wielding a homemade gun on Friday as he delivered a campaign speech that stunned a country where both gun crime and political violence are extremely rare.
The ceremony takes place only with family and close friends
Keiko Noumi, a 58-year-old teacher, was among many who offered flowers to pray under a cloudy sky before a large photo of Abe was posted inside the temple grounds, showing him wearing a simple white shirt, smiling in hand. on his hip
“There is a sense of security when he is prime minister in charge of the country,” she said. “I really support him, so this is very unfortunate.”
The ceremony took place only with family and close friends.
A car carrying Mr. Abe’s body leaves after his funeral at Zojoji Temple
Criticism from international leaders has poured in, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken having to take a short pause over the
from Southeast Asia to the United States on Monday morning to pay their respects.
French leader Emmanuel Macron offered his condolences in a video posted on the country’s president’s official Twitter account after he visited the Japanese embassy in Paris.
“I miss all of our meetings and working together, especially during my visit (to Japan) in 2019… I lost a friend,”
a dignified Mr. Macron.
“He served his country with great courage and boldness.”
People pray for the late Japanese prime minister
Kyodo news agency quoted investigators as saying that the suspected killer, who was arrested at the scene and identified by police as Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, believes Abe promoted a religious group church to which his mother had donated “hugely”.
The Unification Church, known for its mass weddings and enthusiastic followers, said on Monday the suspect’s mother was one of its members.
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Yamagami shot Mr. Abe from behind from a 40cm (16in) improvised weapon wrapped in black tape.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a news conference that the government will consider whether it is necessary to further regulate manual firearms.
“We know that current regulations severely restrict firearms, whether manual or not,” he said.
