Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe Cremated
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who was shot dead on Friday 8th while speaking at a campaign event in the southern city of Nara has been cremated.
Christine Juma 
Mr. Abe was shot twice while giving a speech in the southern city of Nara.
The gunman was tackled by security personnel on the site, and the 41-year-old suspect is currently in police custody.
According to local media, police discovered what they suspect to be explosives during a search of the alleged gunman's home
On Tuesday, a hearse carried Abe's body through the capital and past landmarks to the funeral hall where he was later cremated.
The excercise took place after a private funeral had been held earlier at the Zojoji temple.
Flags flew half-mast across Tokyo, as a lengthy line of mourning stretched two blocks outside the shrine, many bearing bouquets.
The funeral passed by Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) offices before arriving at the prime minister's residence, where PM Fumio Kishida and other MPs greeted the convoy.
The procession then proceeded by the parliament building, which Abe first entered as a lawmaker in 1993, before arriving at the Kirigaya Funeral Hall.
Politicians paying their last tribute to Late Abe`s hearse at his office.PHOTOFLE
Abe served as Japan's longest-serving postwar prime minister and was one of the country's most powerful politicians. And his death has sent shockwaves throughout a country where gun violence is relatively rare.
According to police, the gunman targeted Abe because he had grievances with a religious group that he believed Abe belonged to. However, authorities are still probing the gunman's motives and if he acted alone or was under some influence.
The death of Abe elicited an outpouring of grief from foreign leaders including UK prime Minister Boris Johnson who termed Abe`s death as "despicable attack".
The country's prime minister Fumio Kishida also condemned the attack before Abe`s death, saying: "It is barbaric and malicious and it cannot be tolerated."
"This attack is an act of brutality that happened during the elections - the very foundation of our democracy - and is absolutely unforgivable," Mr. Kishida said.
