Sep. 27 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The state funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe takes place in Tokyo on Tuesday, marked by tight security measures and mounting public opposition.
Leaders from countries around the world — including the US Vice President, Kamala Harris, and the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi — meet this morning in Tokyo to pay tribute to the former head of government of Japan, between a security plan for which more than 20,000 agents will be deployed. More than 4,000 guests will attend the funeral, which is being held at the Nippon Budokan, a stadium in the center of the capital that is used for sporting or musical events, reports the Kyodo agency.
The ceremony began at 2:00 p.m. local time (07:00 a.m. Spanish peninsular time), although the public was allowed to lay flowers from 10:00 a.m. local time, in a park near the place of the ceremony.
Meanwhile, opponents of the funeral have held rallies outside Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s office, the Parliament building, and other places around the country, demanding that the event be cancelled.
The number of people demonstrating against the ceremony is increasing, as critics argue that this state funeral lacks a legal basis and cite the controversial legacy of the Japanese politician, who was assassinated on July 8 while giving a speech at a campaign rally. in the city of Nara, in western Japan.
Added to this is that the Government estimates that the funeral will cost the taxpayer more than 1,600 million yen (11 million euros).
Abe, who died at the age of 67, was prime minister from 2006 to 2007 and from 2012 to 2020. In July this year he was shot by a man who made a homemade weapon, the assailant later claimed that he had attacked the former prime minister for his ties to the Unification Church.
