Crowds filled sidewalks with a heavy police presence as Abe’s hearse left a central Tokyo shrine in the early afternoon. People shouted, clapped and waved as he passed, some holding flowers. Hundreds filed into the temple Monday night and Tuesday morning to pay their respects to Abe, who died at the age of 67. His killing on Friday by an unemployed man wielding a makeshift gun stunned a nation where both gun crime and political violence are extremely rare. read more Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register The funeral service, limited to family and close friends, was closed to the media. Abe’s widow, Aki, was the chief mourner. The funeral procession was to pass through Tokyo, taking in the capital’s political heart, Nagatatsu, and landmarks such as the parliament building Abe first entered as a young lawmaker in 1993 after the death of his politician father, and the office of which he led the nation in two terms as prime minister, the longer of which was from 2012 to 2020. Since early morning, long queues of people dressed in black, mixed with others in informal clothing with backpacks, formed outside the temple. Keiko Noumi, a 58-year-old teacher, was one of many who came to offer prayers and flowers to a large photo of Abe set up inside the temple showing him in a simple white shirt, laughing with his hands on his hips . “There was a sense of security when he was the prime minister of the country,” he said. “I really supported him, so it’s very unfortunate.” Others lined up outside the headquarters of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to make offerings at a makeshift shrine that will be in place by Friday. Party officials come out to offer cold barley tea to mourners sweating in the stifling air. Greetings from international leaders, with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken making a brief stop on his way to the United States from Southeast Asia on Monday morning to pay his respects. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Taiwan Vice President William Lai, on a private visit as a family friend, also joined the mourners. read more Nearly 2,000 messages of condolence arrived from nations around the world, Kyodo news agency reported.
“GREAT COURAGE, THRASSOS”
French leader Emmanuel Macron sent his condolences in videos posted on the country’s official presidential Twitter account after visiting the Japanese embassy in Paris. “I remember all our meetings and cooperation, especially during my visit (to Japan) in 2019… I lost a friend,” the official Macron said. “He served his country with great courage and bravery.” The suspected killer, who was arrested at the scene and identified by police as 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, believed Abe had promoted a religious group to which his mother had made a “huge donation,” Kyodo news agency reported, citing investigators. . The Unification Church, known for its mass weddings and devoted followers, said Monday that the suspect’s mother was one of its members. Reuters was unable to determine whether the mother belonged to other religious organizations. read more Yamagami shot Abe from behind, unloading two rounds from a 40-centimeter (16-inch) improvised gun wrapped in black tape. read more Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a press conference on Tuesday that the Japanese government will consider whether there is a need to further regulate handguns. “We know that current regulations severely restrict firearms, hand-made or not,” he said. Satoshi Ninoyu, head of the National Public Security Commission, said at a news conference on Tuesday that he had ordered the formation of a team to investigate the security situation surrounding Abe’s assassination. “We take this incident extremely seriously,” the Nikkei Shimbun quoted him as saying. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Additional reporting by Akiko Okamoto, Kohei Miyazaki, Yoshifumi Takemoto, and Ju-min Park. Elaine Lies writes. Edited by Kenneth Maxwell Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
