Abe was shot dead by 41-year-old gunman Yamagami Tetsuya while giving a speech at a campaign rally in the western city of Nara.

Tetsuya used a homemade weapon to shoot Abe twice. The former president died after sustaining two deep neck wounds that damaged an artery.

Government-funded NPR reacted to the news by referring to Abe as a "divisive arch conservative," a description many found derogatory.