People from all walks of life formed a long line on Saturday on the otherwise ordinary street outside a train station where Abe was shot while campaigning ahead of weekend elections.

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Afternoon downpours did not deter the crowds who came to offer condolences, some having travelled great distances like 51-year-old Yoshikazu Tokudome, who flew hundreds of kilometres from the Tokyo region to the city of Nara.

"I'm just in pain, and I thought the least I could do was come here and lay some flowers," the company worker told AFP.

Visitors like Tokudome bowed deeply with their eyes closed, some weeping as they laid flowers on a table in a tent set up near Yamato-Saidaiji Station.

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Friday's events unfolded rapidly, with Abe speaking confidently into a microphone before he was shot down and the suspect immediately tackled to the ground.

As bouquet after bouquet was piled onto the table, it became a makeshift altar adorned by framed photos and cartoon illustrations of a smiling Abe, who was forced to resign from office in 2020 due to poor health.

Cans of beer and other drinks were also placed on the table for the politician to enjoy in the afterlife, but the overriding mood was sombre.

Wiping away tears, 52-year-old Kayoko Ueda, from the neighbouring region of Osaka, told AFP she was "distraught" and "couldn't believe something like this could actually happen in Japan".

Violent crime is very rare in the country, which also has some of the world's strictest gun laws.

eNCA