Japan bids sombre farewell to slain Shinzo Abe, its longest-serving premier

People lay flowers on a flower offering at Abe at Zojoji Temple, where the vigil and funeral of late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot while campaigning for a parliamentary election, will be held, in Tokyo, Japan July 11, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

TOKYO (Reuters) -With prayers, flowers and flags draped in black ribbons, Japan on Tuesday said farewell to Shinzo Abe, a polarising figure who dominated politics as the country's longest-serving premier, before being gunned down at a campaign rally last week.

Crowds packed pavements lined with a heavy police presence as the hearse carrying Abe, who died at age 67, departed from a central Tokyo temple on a procession through the city.