Japan

Japan Holds State Funeral for Abe

Published SEP 27 2022

Story

Image credit: Associated Press [via Japan Today]

The Facts

On Tuesday, Japan honored former PM Shinzo Abe in a controversial state funeral at the Nippon Budokan Arena in Tokyo, with ceremonial rites involving a video tribute, honor guard, gun salute, and musical performances.
CNN
The service began at 2 pm and was attended by some 4K people, including high-profile guests such as Australian PM Anthony Albanese, Indian PM Narendra Modi, Japan's Crown Prince Akishino, and US Vice President Harris.
Al Jazeera
In the morning, police officers were deployed to Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward near the venue to prevent civil disruption, as opponents protesting the ceremony were confronted by supporters.
The Asahi Shimbun
Opinion polls signaled a majority of Japanese citizens were against holding the high-profile event, with many citing its $11M cost. This was just the second state funeral for a former prime minister in Japan's post-war history.
Guardian
Abe's murder in July revealed ties between the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Unification Church, damaging the party's popularity and current PM Fumio Kishida's approval ratings.
nytimes
Almost half of LDP's 379 lawmakers have acknowledged ties with the South Korea-based church - which is accused of deceptively receiving donations from followers - that Abe's grandfather, former PM Nobusuke Kishi, reportedly helped establish in Japan.
Time

Sources Split

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The Spin

Establishment-critical narrative

Opting to hold a state funeral was an unjustified decision from PM Kishida without democratic discussion and ignoring the four-decades-old joint funeral system for former prime ministers. This ceremony will deepens public division and endorses the party's highly-disturbing ties with the Unification Church.

The Mainichi

Pro-establishment narrative

Though PM Kishida may not have followed the standard process, he was right to honor Shinzo Abe with a state funeral. Abe had his flaws, but he's undeniably among Japan's greatest leaders after reviving the country's economy and turning it into a key international player. Detractors who failed to defeat him in life are now embarrassing Japan to score political points after his death.