Japan holds a controversial state funeral for slain former PM Shinzo Abe, with thousands of people, including dignitaries, in attendance
Abe was Japan's longest-serving prime minister and one of the country's most recognisable political figures, known for cultivating international alliances and his"Abenomics" economic strategy.
Thousands of Japanese offered flowers and prayers in honour of Abe ahead of the state funeral attended by hundreds of foreign dignitaries. The shooting sent shock waves through a country with famously low gun crime and prompted international condemnation. The assassination prompted fresh scrutiny of the church and its fundraising, and uncomfortable questions for Japan's political establishment, with the ruling party admitting around half its lawmakers had links to the religious organisation.
It is also the legacy of Abe's controversial tenure, marked by persistent allegations of cronyism and opposition to his nationalism as well as plans to reform the pacifist constitution.Despite the controversy, so many people lined up to offer flowers in Tokyo that officials opened the tent half an hour earlier than planned.