4,000 People Participate in Abe's State Funeral

Tokyo, Sept. 27 (Jiji Press)--A total of 4,183 people from within and outside Japan bid farewell to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a state funeral in Tokyo, the government said. The public was split over the state funeral for the country's longest-serving prime minister, who was in office for eight years and eight months in total. Many people gathered around the funeral venue to lay flowers, while thousands of protesters rallied near the front gate of the parliament building. Abe, who was in office in 2006-2007 and between 2012 and 2020, was shot to death while delivering a campaign speech in the western city of Nara on July 8. It was the first time in 55 years for Japan to hold a state funeral for a former prime minister since one was held for Shigeru Yoshida in 1967. In a memorial address during the funeral, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, "Using the foundation you laid, I will do my utmost to build a Japan, region, and world that is sustainable and inclusive, where everyone shines." During the funeral, the national anthem was performed, participants, including Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, offered a silent prayer and a video of Abe was shown. Former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who was Abe's immediate successor and his chief cabinet secretary while Abe was in office, said that Abe was a "true leader for Japan." The funeral lasted four hours. Self-Defense Forces personnel formed an honor guard and a 19-gun salute was delivered when Abe's remains arrived at the funeral venue. People formed a long line for a flower stand set up at a park near the funeral venue. The line was extended to some 3 kilometers at one point. Some 23,000 people had visited the park as of 6 p.m., according to the government. Unlike the time when the state funeral for Yoshida was held, the government refrained this time from asking people to express condolences. Flags were lowered to half-staff at the prime minister's office and the parliament building. Government agencies took different responses, with the Environment Ministry calling on its workers to observe a moment of silence while the land ministry left that decision up to individual workers. The government will later announce the total cost of the state funeral and examine the event. END