Japan to hold state funeral for slain former PM Abe
TOKYO: Japan will hold a state funeral this fall for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was fatally shot last week on the campaign trail, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday.
The funeral, expected to be fully state-funded, will be dedicated to Abe for the "excellent leadership and implementation skills" he showed during his eight years and eight months in office that made him the longest-serving Japanese prime minister, Kyodo news reported Kishida said, although opposition party lawmakers quickly warned not all people support the plan.
Following the shooting of Abe last Friday in the western city of Nara, a private funeral was held Tuesday for the prime minister with the attendance of his family members and people close to him, including Kishida.
A state funeral for a national leader is rare. The last time Japan held such a memorial was in 1967 for Shigeru Yoshida, who served as prime minister as the country rose from the ashes of World War II. The decision was made by then Prime Minister Eisaku Sato's Cabinet.
“By carrying out a state funeral, we will mourn (the death of) former Prime Minister Abe and show our determination to defend democracy resolutely without giving in to violence,” Kishida said at a press conference.
The likeliest venue is Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, the same as for Yoshida, a source at the Prime Minister's Office said. The government is expected to set up an office at the Cabinet Office soon to start arranging the funeral, it reported.
Abe's sudden death shortly before Sunday's House of Councillors election shocked the nation, known for its strict gun control and rare political violence.
Kishida said Abe was deserving of a state funeral because of his significant contributions to Japan, including leading efforts to recover from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which triggered the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, reviving the Japanese economy and pursuing diplomacy based on the Japan-US alliance.
The late prime minister was praised highly by foreign leaders and the international community, and his death from a “barbaric” act that shook the foundation of democracy during campaigning has led to mourning and condolences offered at home and abroad, Kishida said.
A Cabinet decision will do to hold a state funeral and no parliamentary approval is necessary, according to the prime minister.
Abe, who stepped down as prime minister in 2020 due to ill health, was an influential yet divisive figure at home.
Supporters say he helped raise Japan's profile by reviving the economy with his "Abenomics" policy mix and expanding the role of the Self-Defence Forces. But he also faced criticism, mired in a spate of scandals, including allegations of favouritism.
Senior lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party welcomed Kishida's decision as appropriate, given Abe's legacy. Opposition party leaders showed their understanding, but some called for more explanation as to why a state funeral is needed.
“Not all people are supportive” of the plan, Ichiro Matsui, leader of the opposition Japan Innovation Party, told reporters. The funeral should be held in a way that the bereaved family will not become the target of public criticism, he added.
On Tuesday, people thronged outside Zojoji, a Buddhist temple, as the private funeral was held on the premises and formed a long line at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo to lay flowers and pay respects. The hearse carrying Abe's body passed by the prime minister's office, the National Diet Building and other locations linked to his political career.