PM Albanese signs Abe condolence book

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has signed a condolence book for the late Japanese leader Shinzo Abe.

Mr Abe, 67, was shot and killed while campaigning near a train station in the Japanese city of Nara on Friday. A man was arrested at the scene.

Mr Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong visited the Japanese embassy in Canberra on Monday to sign the condolence book.

Mr Abe, who visited Australia five times as prime minister, was instrumental in delivering several historic agreements and elevated relations between the two nations to a special strategic partnership.

He addressed both houses of parliament in Canberra in 2014 and four years later became the first Japanese leader to visit Darwin, which was bombed by Japan during World War II.

According to protocol, official Australian flags will fly at half-mast on the day of Mr Abe’s funeral.

Major Australian landmarks were lit in red and white over the weekend.