While giving a speech during an election campaign, Abe was shot at about 11:30 am local time in Nara on July 8, east of Osaka. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead at 5:03 pm.
Shinzo Abe was Japan's longest-serving Prime Minister when he stepped down in 2020 due to health reasons. He was Prime Minister of Japan twice, from 2006-07 and from 2012-20. In 2020 after resigning, he was succeeded by Yoshihide Suga and later by Fumio Kishida.
As he reached Japan to pay tributes to the late prime minister, PM Modi tweeted ‘Landed in Tokyo’ on Twitter.
Japan is hosting a state funeral for Abe in Tokyo which will have foreign dignitaries from all over the world.
According to Japan's Kyodo news, the state-funded funeral is witnessing criticism and protests as it is expected to cost more than $11 million, with a large portion attributed to security costs. More than 18,000 police personnel are expected to be present at the event with top-level security measures.
The security will be as it was during the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.
This will be Japan's second state funeral for a former prime minister since World War 2. Shigeru Yoshida was the first one to get a state funeral in 1967.
As per the Japan Times, the funeral will last for one-and-a-half hours following which the national anthem of the country will be played. Afterward, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will deliver a commemorative speech followed by addresses from other high-level delegates.
Japan's royal family will also pay tributes to Abe at his state funeral, however, maintaining the line of tradition, Emperor Naruhito will not be attending the funeral, and their imperial envoys will pay their respects.
Abe was shot on July 8 in the Japanese city of Nara. Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, fired two shots from a distance of about 10 metres.
The attacker reportedly plotted the assassination of the 67-year-old former head of government for nearly a year.
(With inputs from ANI)
