Antony Blinken en route to pay America’s respects to Shinzo Abe

The US Secretary of State will ‘offer condolences to the Japanese people’ in meetings with senior officials in Tokyo on Monday.

Joe Biden, with Japanese ambassador Koji Tomita, signs a condolence book at the envoy’s residence in Washington on Friday. Picture: AFP

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Japan on Monday to offer condolences in person over the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe.

Mr Blinken, who was in Bangkok on Sunday, will “offer condolences to the Japanese people” in meetings with senior officials in Tokyo, State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

Mr Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, was shot during a campaign stop in the central city of Nara on Friday, in an exceedingly rare gun crime in one of the world’s safest countries.

The 67-year-old former prime minister built tight relations with the US, especially in defence, as he tried to shed some of his country’s post-war pacifism.

“The alliance between Japan and the United States has been a cornerstone of our foreign policy for decades,” Mr Blinken said on Saturday after G20 talks in Bali.

“Prime Minister Abe really brought that partnership to new heights. The friendship between the Japanese and American people is likewise unshakeable.

“So we’re standing with the people of Japan, with the prime minister’s family, in the aftermath of a truly, truly appalling act of violence.”

The murder of Japan’s best-known politician has sparked international condemnation, with US President Joe Biden saying he was “stunned, outraged, and deeply saddened” by the assassination.

Mr Biden ordered flags flown at half-mast on Sunday and went in person to the Japanese ambassador’s residence in Washington to sign a condolence book.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol described the killing as an “unacceptable act”.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen tweeting that the “brutal and cowardly murder” had shocked the world.

A hearse carrying the body of Shinzo Abe leaves the Nara Medical University Hospital in Kashihara on Saturday. Picture: AFP

Chinese President Xi Jinping saying he was “deeply saddened” by Mr Abe’s death.

The two leaders had a stable but frosty relationship, as Abe attempted to mend ties in recent years despite bitter historical grievances between the regional rivals and a simmering dispute over an island chain claimed by both countries.

“On behalf of the Chinese government and the Chinese people, and in his own name, Xi Jinping expressed deep condolences over the untimely death of former prime minister Shinzo Abe and condolences to his relatives,” state broadcaster CCTV said.

“I am deeply saddened by his sudden passing,” it reported Xi as saying, adding that he and wife Peng Liyuan had sent a separate message of condolence to Abe’s widow, Akie Abe.

Mr Xi’s public tribute to the former prime minister lagged behind multiple other world leaders. Abe was deeply unpopular in China partly due to his repeated visits to the Yasakuni Shrine, a controversial memorial to those who died in Japan’s wars with China.

Melbourne's Flinders Street Station lit up in the colours of the Japanese flag on Saturday night. Picture: AFP

Mr Abe’s office said that a wake would be held on Monday night, with a funeral for family and close friends only on Tuesday. Local media said both were expected to be held at Tokyo’s Zojoji Temple.

On Saturday afternoon, Mr Abe’s body arrived from Nara at his home in Tokyo, where a steady stream of mourners including Tetsuya Hamada gathered to offer prayers and flowers. “I am stunned that things like this still take place in Japan,” he said. “It makes me sad. How it is possible that this happened in broad daylight?”

Senior members of Mr Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party lined up to pay their respects as the vehicle, believed to be carrying his wife, entered the couple’s residence in the capital

The Sydney Opera House was lit up on Sunday in tribute to Mr Abe. And Melbourne Flinders St station was lit up on Saturday night in the red and white of the Japanese flag.

AFP