A motorcade carrying the body of former prime minister Shinzo Abe has arrived at his home in the Japanese capital, as police in the western city of Nara where he was assassinated say there had been issues with security.

Mourners gathered at his residence and at the scene of Friday's attack in Nara, where Japan's longest-serving modern leader was gunned down in a rare act of political violence while making a campaign speech.

The country's political establishment called the killing an attack on democracy itself. 

Police arrested a 41-year-old man immediately after Mr Abe was shot at close range, and said the suspect had used a homemade gun.

The local police force manning the campaign event said on Saturday that security arrangements had been flawed.

"I feel a grave sense of responsibility," he said, adding that police would analyse what exactly went wrong and implement any necessary changes.

On Friday, Nippon Television quoted Nara police as saying Mr Abe was protected at the rally by one armed specialised police officer and some other local officers.

Nara police declined to say how many police officers were handling Mr Abe's security.

Elections for seats in Japan's upper house of parliament are going ahead as scheduled on Sunday.

Security beefed up for current PM

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was back on the campaign trail visiting regional constituencies after making an emergency return to Tokyo on Friday after the shooting.

A metal detection scanner, not normally seen at election events in largely crime-free Japan, was installed at a site in the city of Fujiyoshida where Mr Kishida was due to give a campaign speech. There was also a heavy police presence.

In Nara, some 450 km south-west of Tokyo, a stream of people queued up to lay flowers on a table beside a photograph of Mr Abe.

"I'm just shocked that this kind of thing happened in Nara," said Natsumi Niwa, a 50-year-old housewife, after laying flowers with her 10-year-old son near the scene of the killing outside a downtown train station.

Ms Niwa said Mr Abe, a conservative and architect of the "Abenomics" policies aimed at reflating the economy, had inspired the name of her son, Masakuni. Mr Abe used to hail Japan as a "beautiful nation". "Kuni" means nation in Japanese.

A night vigil is due to be held on Monday and Mr Abe's funeral will take place on Tuesday, attended by close friends, media said. There was no immediate word on any public memorial service.

Police exploring possible motive

Police were scrambling to establish details of the suspect's motive and his preparations for the crime.

Japanese media reported, citing police sources, that the suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, had told police he believed Mr Abe was linked to a religious group he blamed for ruining his mother financially and breaking up the family.

Police have not identified the group and declined to comment on the details reported by Japanese media of Yamagami's motive or preparation.

He spent months plotting the attack and told investigators he had also visited other spots where Mr Abe had made campaign appearances, including in the city of Okayama, more than 200 km from Nara, media reported.

He had considered a bomb attack before opting for a gun, according to public broadcaster NHK.

LDP expected to win election

Sunday's election is expected to deliver victory to the ruling coalition led by Mr Kishida, a protege of Mr Abe.

Mr Abe's killing "heightens the prospect for stronger turnout and greater support for his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)", Eurasia Group analysts wrote in a note.

The LDP, where Mr Abe retained considerable influence, had already been expected to gain seats before the assassination. Mr Abe, 67, served twice as prime minister, stepping down citing ill health on both occasions.

But he remained a member of parliament and influential leader in the LDP after stepping down for the second time in 2020.

A strong election performance by the LDP "could catalyse Kishida to push for Abe's unfulfilled goal of amending Japan's constitution to allow for a stronger role for the military", James Brady, vice president at advisory firm Teneo, wrote in a note.

Mr Kishida visited Mr Abe's residence in Tokyo to pay his respects on Saturday, the Kyodo news agency reported, alongside mourners clutching flowers and party officials who bowed as the hearse carrying his body arrived.

Mr Abe's death has drawn condolences from across political divides, and from around the world.

The Quad, a group consisting of countries aimed at countering China's influence in the Indo-Pacific region which Mr Abe was instrumental in setting up, expressed shock at the assassination in a joint statement.

Chinese President Xi Jinping also paid tribute to Mr Abe, who he said worked hard to improve relations between the neighbours, Chinese state media reported.

Reuters

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