Huge crowds have lined the streets of Tokyo to pay their last respects to ex-Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated last week.

The 67-year-old was shot dead on Friday while speaking at a campaign event in the southern city of Nara.

On Tuesday, a hearse carried Abe's body through the capital and past landmarks to the funeral hall where he was then cremated.

A private funeral had been held earlier at the Zojoji temple.

Across Tokyo, flags flew at half mast and outside the temple, a long line of mourners stretched over two blocks, many carrying bouquets.

The hearse travelled past the headquarters of Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) before making its way to the prime minister's residence, where PM Fumio Kishida and other lawmakers received the motorcade.