Asia

Home page

Asia

Mourners throng Abe's wake as his party secures sombre Japan election win

11 July 2022 17:28 (UTC +04:00)

Mourners streamed into a temple in Tokyo to pay their respects to Japan's slain former premier Shinzo Abe on Monday, as his assassination overshadowed an election win for the ruling party he had dominated, APA reports citing Reuters.

Current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who has the chance to cement his own power following Sunday's election gains, and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen were among the hundreds at Abe's wake, three days after he was shot at an election rally.

A private funeral for Abe, who resigned in 2020 and was Japan's longest-serving premier, is scheduled for Tuesday.

"There is a profound sense of sorrow at his loss," Yellen told reporters outside the temple, where she placed incense in Abe's honour and greeted his family.

"Prime Minister Abe was a visionary leader and he strengthened Japan...I know that his legacy will live on," she added.

Abe's shooting shocked a nation where political violence and gun crime is rare.

The suspected killer, 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 made a "huge donation", Kyodo news agency has said, citing investigators.

The Unification Church, a controversial group known for its mass weddings and devoted following, said on Monday the suspect's mother was one of its members.