Shinzo Abe, former Japanese prime minister, is veiled under protests at millionaire funeral

With flowers, prayers and a 19-gun salute, Japan paid tribute to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday at the first state funeral for a former premier in 55 years, in a ceremony marred by protests. but also by long lines of those who wanted to say goodbye.

Abe’s ashes, carried by his wife Akie in a funeral procession from their residence in the Japanese capital, arrived at Budokan Stadium in central Tokyo to the sound of gunfire and a military band.

Around the stadium, thousands of people paid their last respects. In a few hours, about 10,000 left flowers for Abe, according to television, after facing a line of up to three hours.

Abe, the longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history, was assassinated in early July during a campaign rally in the city of Nara. He was shot in the right side of the neck and in the left side of the chest, according to the Japan Disaster Management Agency.

In his funeral eulogy, current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida described the former leader as “a person of courage” and cited his political achievements, including efforts to strengthen Japan’s diplomatic ties.

“I feel excruciating pain,” Kishida said over a huge photograph of Abe hanging over a large flower frame. Nearby, a wall of photos showed Abe walking with G7 leaders, holding hands with children and visiting disaster areas.

There was a moment of silence, followed by a retrospective of Abe’s political life and speeches by leading figures in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), an acronym that the former premier led and also that of the current prime minister.

Yoshihide Suga, Abe’s successor in office, said in a shaky voice that the former leader said he wanted to “make Japan better, that he wanted young people to have hope and pride.” He noted that many people in their 20s and 30s showed up to offer flowers.

Dressed in a black kimono, Abe’s widow wiped her tears as Suga spoke. The ceremony ended with Kishida and Akie carrying the ashes out of the hall.

About 4,300 people attended the funeral, along with hundreds of state officials, including US Vice President Kamala Harris and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Abe’s murder left the country in shock, given that Japan has very low levels of violent crime. But the decision to organize a state funeral, the second for a post-war former prime minister, was met with strong opposition, with around 60% of citizens saying they were against the event, according to recent polls, and opposition politicians boycotting it. the ceremony.

A catalyst for the discontent was the cost of the funeral, US$ 11.5 million (R$ 61.5 million), to be borne by the state at a time of economic hardship for citizens. Another was the accusation that Kishida approved the ceremony unilaterally, without consulting Parliament.

The current prime minister justified the ceremony as a way of honoring the achievements of Abe, who had already had a private funeral days after he was killed.

In one area of ​​central Tokyo, protesters held placards and chanted “no state funeral” to the sound of a guitar.

Abe’s death also set off a flurry of revelations about ties between lawmakers from the LDP, an acronym Abe led, and the Unification Church, called a sect by critics. The scrutiny was based on the fundraising methods of this religious group, implicating the current prime minister, who has admitted that half of the ruling party’s lawmakers have ties to the church.

Kishida apologized and promised that the LDP would break ties with the church, but the scandal added to public unease over the state funeral.

With a conservative outlook, Abe was one of the most famous figures in the country, remembered for cultivating international alliances and for his economic strategy called Abenomics. He ruled for 3,188 days in two non-consecutive terms. He resigned in 2020 due to a health issue, but remained an important public figure.