The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun
Mourners, protesters gather on day of state funeral ‘NO NEED FOR STATE FUNERAL’
The state funeral for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was held Tuesday at the Nippon Budokan hall in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, where the slain politician was lauded for his achievements and dedication. About 4,300 people, including about 700 people from 218 other nations and territories, attended the ceremony.
Abe’s cremated remains were brought to the venue just before 2 p.m. by his wife Akie, who was greeted there by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. e remains were placed in the center of an altar decorated with items including a Diet member badge and a blue ribbon symbolizing wishes for the return of the Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea.
Crown Prince Akishino, Crown Princess Kiko and their daughter Princess Kako were seated in the front row.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno gave the opening address. A er a minute of silence was observed, a video prepared by the government that looked back over Abe’s political career was played on large screens.
Kishida delivered a speech citing Abe’s achievements, including the enactment of security legislation permitting limited exercise of the right of collective self-defense, and advocating the “free and open Indo-Paci c” initiative.
Kishida praised Abe for “putting in more e ort than anyone in the world to maintain and promote the international order.” Noting that Abe was the longest-serving prime minister under Japan’s current Constitution, Kishida said, “History will remember you more for what you have accomplished than for the length [of your administration].”
He also spoke about Abe’s work on the issue of the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korea. “I will do my utmost to carry on your legacy and ensure that the abductees can return home,” the prime minister said.
“On the foundation you’ve laid, I pledge to build a sustainable, inclusive Japan, region and world, where all people can thrive.”
Former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga spoke as a representative of Abe’s friends, saying, “You were a true leader for Japan.” Suga recalled rushing to Nara when Abe was shot there in July, saying, “I just wanted to see you, be in the same space and breath the same air.”
Citing the passage of the law on the protection of specially designated secrets and security legislation as examples, he said: “Without any one of these, the security of our country will not be solid. We o er our eternal gratitude for your conviction and determination.”
Abe was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, at eight years and eight months. He was fatally shot in Nara on July 8 while giving a campaign speech for an upper house election.
He is the second prime minister to be given a state funeral since the end of World War II, 55 years a er the same honor was awarded to Shigeru Yoshida.
From about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, many people laid owers at stands in Kudanzaka Koen park, which is near the Nippon Budokan hall. Entry to the area was restricted to funeral o cials and people o ering owers, and tra c restrictions were in place on nearby roads.
Mourners began lining up Tuesday morning near the Nippon Budokan hall to leave
owers for Abe, while people opposing the state funeral, which was held for Abe at the hall later in the day, also gathered to make their voices heard.
Public opinion is divided about holding a state funeral for Abe, the second for a for
mer prime minister since the end of World War II. Abe was fatally shot during an election campaign speech in July.
Flower stands were set up in Kudanzaka Koen park, about 100 meters from the Nippon Budokan hall. e line of people waiting was as long as 1.7 kilometers at one point in the morning, prompting the organizers to start accepting owers at 9:30 a.m. instead of the scheduled time of 10 a.m.
ere were two stands, each with a photo of Abe surrounded by chrysanthemums and other owers. Visitors passed through a security check, then placed owers on the stands and prayed. Some shed tears.
A 60-year-old man came from Wakayama early Monday evening to o er owers. He said he had met Abe at a Tokyo event about Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea.
“He was a cheerful, friendly person,” the man said. “e way he died was horrible and he must have had regrets, I think. If he was still alive, he would have served the country.”
A 68-year-old mourner from Kodaira, Tokyo, said he entered Seikei University the same year as Abe and dined with him. He said he came to the funeral to bring a sense of closure to his feelings.
“Even from our student days, he had a strong sense of justice
and hated wrongdoing. He worked hard in di cult times.”
FLAGS AT HALF-STAFF
Most prefectural and municipal government buildings in the country ew a ag at halfsta on Tuesday.
In Chiyoda Ward, where Nippon Budokan is located, two kindergartens asked the children’s parents to keep them home and some elementary schools decided to hold classes remotely.
“Many people were expected to visit the area, so they prioritized the safety of the children,” a ward o cial said.
Mourners began visiting the site where Abe was killed in
front of Nara’s Yamato-Saidaiji Station on the Kintetsu Line from Tuesday morning.
“I wanted to go to the state funeral venue, but I couldn’t because of a work-related matter,” said a 72-year-old man from Sakai, Osaka Prefecture. “I was impressed that he worked hard on diplomatic issues. I’d like to tell him, ‘ ank you and please rest in peace.’”
A citizens group held a gathering at a park in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward to oppose the state funeral, claiming there was no need to hold it.
“Opinions about Mr. Abe di er from person to person.
Mourning him on a national level restricts the inner thoughts of the people in this country. I want to send a voice of protest to the venue,” said a 64-year-old teacher from Musashino, Tokyo.
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki is one of the prefectural governors who declined to attend the funeral.
“Each person has their own standpoint on expressing condolence,” Tamaki said as he arrived for work at the Okinawa prefectural government building in Naha on Tuesday morning.
e prefecture reportedly did not y a ag at half-sta .
(Published in print on Sept. 28)