Thousands of people gathered on the streets of Tokyo today for the funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated last week after a private funeral at a Buddhist temple.
Only family and friends attended his funeral, but long queues dressed in black were seen outside the Zojoji shrine to bid farewell to Japan’s longest-serving prime minister.
“I can’t get over the sadness. I came to put flowers and pray,” Tsukasa Yokawa, 41, adviser to Abe, who described Abe as a “great prime minister”, told AFP.
Abe was shot last Friday during a rally in the city of Nara, two days before the Senate election, where his party won a large majority on Sunday.
Tetsuya Yamagami, a 41-year-old criminal who was arrested shortly after shooting the former prime minister, told police that he attacked Abe because he believed he was affiliated with a religious organization that harmed his family.
“This is despicable,” said nurse Yuko Takehisa, who was watching the parade.
“They could have done more to prevent this,” he said, before stating that “no one had reported Yamagami to the police,” despite reports that he had tested a homemade weapon before the attack.
After the tribute, the parade with Abe’s coffin passed by symbolic landmarks of the Japanese capital and symbols of power, such as the prime minister’s official residence known as Kantei, and the seat of Parliament.
Image: via Kyodo/ REUTERS
Outside the buildings, officials bowed as a sign of respect.
Abe’s widow, Akie, sat in front of the funeral home with the tombstone bearing her name after her husband’s death, according to Buddhist tradition. Akie returned the bows during the ceremony.
Along the way, several people prayed and displayed photos of Abe.
security flaws
Satoshi Ninoyu, head of the National Public Safety Commission, which oversees the police, promised an in-depth analysis of potential vulnerabilities.
Nara police acknowledged problems with Abe’s security plan, who was attacked from behind in broad daylight.
According to Japanese media reports, police found parts of the suspect’s home that could be used to make weapons similar to the one used in the attack.
Yamagami reportedly spent three years in the Japanese Navy and told investigators that his mother had made a large donation to a religious organization, which put the family in financial trouble.
The Unification Church, a religious movement known as the “Moon cult” founded in South Korea in the 1950s, said on Monday that Yamagami’s mother was a member of the church, but did not name the donations she made.
condolence
Abe’s murder, along with many messages of condolence, caused great uproar and turmoil in Japan and the world.
Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said the government has received more than 1,700 messages of condolence from more than 250 countries, regions and international organizations.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unscheduled visit to Tokyo to commemorate Abe, whom he called a “man of vision”.
According to local media, Taiwan’s Vice President William Lai also visited Tokyo. Its presence may offend China, but Hayashi said the Taiwanese official made the trip personally.
Abe came from a traditional Japanese political family and became the youngest post-war prime minister when he first took power in 2006 at the age of 52, a term that lasted 12 months.
He returned to power in 2012 and resigned eight years later due to health problems.
His nationalist views caused division in the country, especially the desire to change the Constitution, and he faced many scandals, including allegations that he favored his friends.
Others praised him for his economic strategy based on broad monetary policy, fiscal stimulus and structural reforms, dubbed “Abenomics” in the press.
Many highlighted his efforts to position Japan on the world stage, including its close relationship with former US President Donald Trump.
source: Noticias
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