A private funeral was held Tuesday for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose assassination last week shocked a nation and brought renewed attention to his key policies such as bolstering the nation’s defenses.
The funeral in Tokyo was for the family and associates of Abe, who was fatally shot at close range Friday by a gunman who approached from behind as the former premier was making an election campaign speech outside a train station in the western city of Nara. Larger-scale memorial services are to be held at a later date.
Crowds of people lined the streets outside a Buddhist temple in Tokyo where the ceremony took place to pay their respects and view the hearse carrying Abe’s body — where his wife Akie sat in the front seat.
