Shigeru Ishiba, a 67-year-old veteran lawmaker and former Defence Minister, has long aspired to lead Japan. This was his fifth attempt to secure the top post in the LDP, having previously lost four leadership bids, including a 2012 contest against his long-time rival, Shinzo Abe.

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.

PM Modi arrived in Japan to attend the state funeral of Japan's former Prime Minister on Tuesday. He described Abe as a "tall global statesman, an outstanding leader, and an extraordinary administrator." When Abe was assassinated, Prime Minister Modi said, 'I have lost a dear friend.'
 

Shinzo Abe had been the longest serving Prime Minister of Japan who stepped down from the post in 2020 citing health reasons. He first took the office in 2006 becoming Japan's youngest prime minister since World War II.

The Japanese government will shell out around 1.66 billion yen on the event, which is reportedly more than the cost of Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral, media reports said.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, one of his nation's most powerful and influential figures, was assassinated during a campaign speech in the city of Nara. Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving prime minister of Japan was the grandson of former prime minister Nobusuke Kishi.

Tetsuya Yamagami, the alleged gunman, was arrested at the scene and is currently under mental evaluation until late November. Speaking to police, Yamagami said that he targeted Abe because of the former leader's link to the Unification Church

During one of PM Modi's official visits to Japan in 2018, Abe invited his Indian counterpart to his family home in the Yamanashi prefecture, a move signalling particularly warm ties between the two leaders.

Authorities in Singapore have reportedly arrested a 45-year-old man for inciting violence by posting a comment on Facebook against Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The man who fatally shot former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has told police that he initially planned to attack a leader of a religious group.