Who was Shinzo Abe and what does his assassination mean for Japan?
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(CNN) --
Family and close friends attended former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's funeral in Tokyo on Tuesday as crowds gathered in the streets of the capital to pay their last respects, four days after the commotion over His assassination will resonate around the world.
The private funeral was arranged at the centuries-old Zojoji Temple by Shinzo Abe's widow, Akie Abe.
Well-wishers queued outside, carrying flowers, notes and green tea, symbols of help in the afterlife, to pay their respects to Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister.
Who was Shinzo Abe and what does his assassination mean for Japan?
Police officers stand guard as people view a caravan with the body of the late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Zojoji Temple in Tokyo on July 12.
After the funeral, a hearse carrying the former leader's body traveled from the temple to the Kirigaya Funeral Hall for cremation, passing important buildings such as the Prime Minister's office and the Parliament building.
Large crowds lined the streets as the hearse passed.
Many waved and raised their arms in the air as the vehicle passed, while others bowed their heads in respect.
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, officials and employees offer prayers in front of the Prime Minister's office in Tokyo on July 12.
Akie Abe rode in the front seat of the hearse, bowing to the crowd as they paid their respects.
She carried an ancestral tablet, a symbol of transition to the afterlife.
Millions around the world have reacted with shock and anguish to how Shinzo Abe was shot dead in broad daylight during a campaign speech in the central city of Nara on Friday.
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Akie Abe, widow of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, leaves Zojoji Temple after the funeral on July 12.
Police are investigating the shooting.
The suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, was arrested at the scene but has not been formally charged.
What we know about Yamagami Tetsuya, the suspect in the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
The brutal nature of Shinzo Abe's death has left millions of people in suspense across Japan, a country with one of the lowest rates of gun violence in the world.
Abe was "the face of Japan's national brand," Nancy Snow, a former Abe scholarship holder and Fulbright scholar in Japan, told CNN.
A car carrying Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida leaves Zojoji Temple after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's funeral on July 12.
"When I learned of his fatal injury and subsequent passing, my heart sank," she said.
"For someone in international relations, while I can criticize some of his policies, you have to appreciate a lot of what he did to get Japan back on the world stage."
Naomi Aoki, a supporter of Abe's Liberal Democratic Party, waited outside the Parliament building on Tuesday, hoping for a chance to say goodbye.
"To me, he was the most respected politician in Japan. I want to say goodbye to him and I didn't go to work today. He has had a big impact on my life," Aoki said.
"I don't think his death is in vain. People all over the world will feel the impact of what he achieved in his life."
Shinzo Abe