Shinzo Abe “was a great leader, a phenomenal individual and someone who believed in India-Japan friendship”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled on Tuesday as he offered tribute to the slain former Japanese premier at his state funeral in Tokyo.

Representatives from over 100 countries, including more than 20 heads of state and governments, attended Abe’s funeral.

Modi, who arrived here early in the morning, joined several global leaders to pay floral tribute to Abe who reshaped Japan’s foreign policy, including setting out a bold vision for a quantum leap in ties with India.

When I was in Tokyo earlier this year, little did I imagine I would be back for the solemn programme of former PM Abe’s state funeral. He was a great leader, a phenomenal individual and someone who believed in India-Japan friendship. He shall live on in the hearts of millions! pic.twitter.com/VwN5iufP6g

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 27, 2022

Besides Modi, among the more than 700 foreign guests are US Vice President Kamala Harris and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported.

At a park near the funeral venue, large numbers of people gathered to lay flowers at a set of stands from early in the morning, it said.

Shinzo Abe, who was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, held office in 2006 for a year and then again from 2012 to 2020, before stepping down citing health reasons. He was assassinated while making a campaign speech on July 8 in the southern Japanese city of Nara.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met with Akie Abe, the widow of slain former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, at the Akasaka Palace here and conveyed his heartfelt condolences on the tragic loss.

Prior to the ceremony, Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister of Japan H.E. Mr. Fumio Kishida, where the leaders renewed their commitment towards further strengthening the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership, and in working together in the region and in various international groupings and institutions.