Japan to hold state funeral for ex-PM Abe this year

• Japan to hold state funeral for assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe this autumn.
• Abe shot dead in broad daylight while campaigning for upper house elections last Friday.
• Second state funeral held in post-war Japan for a former PM after Shigeru Yoshida in 1967.

Japan will hold a state funeral for assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe this autumn, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced Thursday, Following an outpouring of shocked condolences from world leaders,

Abe, Japan’s most well-known politician and longest-serving prime minister, was shot dead in broad daylight while campaigning for upper house elections on Friday.

A private funeral was held for family and close associates this week at a Tokyo temple, but a state funeral will also take place to show that “Japan will not give in to violence and is determined to protect democracy”, Kishida said.

Abe “was held in very high esteem by the international community, including foreign leaders,” he told reporters, and “mourning messages have poured in from home and abroad.”

“In light of this, we will hold a state funeral for former prime minister Abe in the autumn.”

The 67-year-old Abe held office for nearly nine years in total until resigning in 2020 for health reasons.

His long time in power, support of reconstruction after the 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster, and “efforts towards diplomacy led by strong Japan-US relations” will be honoured at the event, Kishida said.

According to local media, it will be the second state funeral held in post-war Japan for a former prime minister, following the public memorial for Shigeru Yoshida in 1967.

The murder suspect, 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, is in custody and has told police he targeted Abe because he believed the politician was linked to an organisation he resented.

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Yamagami reportedly told investigators that his mother’s large donations to the group had caused hardship to his family.

The Unification Church, a religious movement founded in Korea, has said that Yamagami’s mother was a member, without commenting on any donations she may have made.

On Thursday, Kishida also advised vigilance as Covid-19 cases rise in Japan, but did not announce any fresh restrictions.

He stated that he had directed up to nine nuclear plants to restart operations in order to help combat energy shortages this winter caused by the Ukraine conflict.

However, following the 2011 Fukushima disaster, such a move remains controversial, and the government cannot compel the facilities to restart. Kishida promised on Thursday that authorities would prioritise “safety” and “listen to local residents.”

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