Latest news: Shinzo Abe

Japan has bade farewell to former prime minister Shinzo Abe, slain by an assassin's bullet last week, amid a heavy police presence.

Japanese voters have gone to the polls in a parliamentary election that may give the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) a surge of support after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a dominant politician and power broker.

Anthony Albanese described the former Japanese prime minister, who was shot during a speech, as one of Australia's closest friends internationally.