Thousands of Japanese and foreign officials formed long lines Tuesday to offer flowers and prayers as they commemorated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated at a funeral that sparked protests in July.
Abe’s ashes were carried by his wife Akie at a funeral from their residence in the Japanese capital, arriving at Tokyo’s Budokan gymnasium with 19 gun salutes in honor of the deceased leader.
In his eulogy, current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called Abe a “brave man” and spoke of his political achievements, including Japan’s efforts to strengthen diplomatic ties.
“I feel excruciating pain,” Kishida said in front of a large photograph of Abe hanging above a large flower structure.
Abe, Japan’s longest-serving head of government and one of the country’s most famous figures, is remembered for forging international alliances and an economic strategy he calls “Abenomics”.
He resigned in 2020 due to a recurring health issue, but remained a prominent public figure and campaigned for the ruling party when he was shot dead by a gunman on July 8.
The murder shook the country, where violent crime was low, and sparked international condemnation.
But the decision to hold a state funeral, the latter for a post-war former prime minister, sparked growing opposition, with nearly 60% of Japanese opposed to the event, according to recent polls.
flower offers
The ceremony at Budokan brought together prominent world leaders such as US Vice President Kamala Harris and Prime Ministers of India Narendra Modi and Anthony Albanese of Australia.
Outside the campus, thousands of people formed long lines, laying flowers, usually white, in front of Abe’s photo, and prayed in two tents that opened an hour before the funeral.
Toru Sato, 71, waited with the support of his walking stick. “I only knew Abe-san from television. He worked hard. His death was so tragic. I feel sorry for him,” he told AFP.
Koji Takamori traveled from Hokkaido (north) with his nine-year-old son. “I wanted to say thank you, he did a lot for Japan,” said the 46-year-old.
“Obviously I wanted to come too, because there is so much opposition. It’s like I’m here to oppose those who oppose the funeral,” he added.
Although outnumbered, critics also observed in the region, aiming to stage a protest in front of the Parliament.
dissatisfaction with the funeral
The man arrested for killing Abe accused him of having ties to the Unification Church, which his mother was offended by his large donations to the so-called “Moon cult.”
The murder led to new scrutiny of this religious group and its fundraising methods, and unsettling questions for the Japanese political class. The ruling party acknowledged that half of the lawmakers had ties to the church.
Prime Minister Kishida promised that the Liberal Democratic Party (PLD) would sever ties with the church, but the scandal increased unease over the state funeral.
Thousands protested the ceremony, and a man set himself on fire near the prime minister’s office, leaving a note expressing his disapproval of the event.
Some opposition lawmakers boycotted the funeral.
The controversy has several causes, including the accusation that Kishida unilaterally approved the ceremony without consulting Parliament. Others disapprove of the nearly $12 million cost of the state funeral.
Abe administration’s polarizing legacy and rejection of nationalism, marked by accusations of nepotism, and plans to reform the pacifist Constitution are also outweighed.
The Kishida government hoped that the seriousness of the event, which was attended by around 4,300 people, including 700 foreign guests, would end the debate.
Japan’s Emperor and Empress Naruhito and Masako did not attend as they are neutral national figures, but Crown Prince Akishino and his wife left flowers at the end of the 90-minute service.
source: Noticias
