'India is missing Shinzo Abe...' Prime Minister Modi pays tribute to former Japanese PM

PM Modi arrived early in the morning to pay tribute to the former prime minister, who reshaped Japan's foreign policy by laying out a bold vision for a quantum leap in relations with India. "The prime minister paid his respects to former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during the State Funeral at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo," according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid floral tribute to former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at his state funeral in Tokyo on Tuesday.

Over 100 countries' representatives attended Abe's funeral, including more than 20 heads of state and governments.

Modi arrived early in the morning to pay tribute to the former prime minister, who reshaped Japan's foreign policy, including laying out a bold vision for a quantum leap in ties with India.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, "the prime minister paid his respects to former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during the State Funeral at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo."

"A tribute to a great visionary and his immense contribution to the advancement of the India-Japan partnership," it said, sharing a photograph of Modi congratulating Abe.

Among the over 700 foreign guests are US Vice President Kamala Harris and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, according to Japan's Kyodo news agency.

It said that from early in the morning, many people gathered in a park near the funeral venue to lay flowers at a set of stands.

On July 8, Shinzo Abe (67) was shot dead while giving a campaign speech in the southern Japanese city of Nara.

(With inputs from PTI)