Shinzo Abe funeral: ‘Divided’ Japan pays tribute to slain ex-PM amid protests
Abe was assassinated on 8 July, with his attacker citing his alleged ties to the Unification Church
Japan and its allies paid tribute on Tuesday to the country's longest-serving prime minister Shinzo Abe at a controversial state funeral marred by protests.
The rare state funeral, held at an estimated cost of up to $12m (£11m), was attended by over 4,300 people, including 50 present and former heads of state.
Protests objecting to the expenditure and to the veneration of Abe’s legacy continued well into Tuesday even as the ceremony began at 2pm local time, with Abe's ashes being carried into the Nippon Budokan Hall in central Tokyo by his widow, Akie Abe.
Prime minister Fumio Kishida has been criticised for spending taxpayers’ money at a time of global economic uncertainty, to host the first state funeral for a Japanese politician since 1967. Such ceremonies are otherwise exclusively reserved for senior members of the imperial family.
Abe, who was assassinated on 8 July during a campaign rally, was honoured with a 19-volley gun salute.
Dressed in a traditional black kimono, Ms Abe walked inside the hall carrying her husband's ashes in an urn placed in a wooden box and covered with silk.
She then passed on the box to Mr Kishida, who then handed it to the military officers for it to be placed on the altar.
Inside the concert venue, a large portrait of Abe draped with black ribbon hung over a bank of green, white and yellow flowers.
Attendees stood while a military band played the Kimigayo national anthem and then observed a moment of silence. Abe’s widow shed tears as a video tribute highlighting key moments in the former prime minister’s life played in the hall.
Leading the tributes with the first eulogy of the day, Mr Kishida praised his predecessor's efforts in diplomacy and security. “He was a person who needed to live for a long time,” said Mr Kishida in his 12-minute speech.
“I had a firm belief that you were to contribute as a compass to show the future direction of Japan and the rest of the world for 10 or 20 more years.”
He added: “Abe-san ... you’ve worked tirelessly and exhausted all your energy for both Japan and the world.”
Abe's successor and long-time aide Yoshihide Suga noted that many people in their twenties and thirties had shown up to offer flowers.
“You always said you wanted to make Japan better, that you wanted young people to have hope and pride,” Mr Suga said with a trembling voice.
US vice-president Kamala Harris, Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese, India's Narendra Modi and South Korean prime minister Han Duck-soo were among the foreign dignitaries to pay floral tributes at the ceremony.
The funeral has been viewed by analysts as a bid by the current Japanese prime minister to strengthen diplomatic ties with the country’s partners, amid plummeting domestic support. He is expected to hold 40 meetings on Tuesday, in a round of what he termed “funeral diplomacy”.
Despite facing a backlash, Mr Kishida defended his decision to stage the full state funeral, calling it a way of honouring Abe’s achievements, as well as standing up for democracy.
Members of the public remained divided, however, with one poll showing only 30 per cent of respondents agreed with the decision.
At a peaceful protest rally against the funeral, hundreds of people marched toward the hall, some banging drums and many shouting and holding banners.
“Shinzo Abe has not done a single thing for regular people,” Kaoru Mano said.
“One big problem is that there was no proper approval process,” pensioner Shin Watanabe told the AP news agency during the demonstration.
“I’m sure there are various views. But I don’t think it’s forgivable that they will force a state funeral on us when so many of us are opposed.”
On Monday, nearly 1,000 people marched through the streets of Tokyo demanding the event be called off after a man in his seventies last week set himself ablaze outside the prime minister’s office.
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