Shinzo Abe Japan’s Ex- Prime Minister had the longest serving tenure. He was shot and slain at a rally conducted in the light of elections on July 8th.The funeral services followed thereafter. However Japan was committed to hold a state funeral at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan arena on Sept 27th.
The government has announced for the expenditure to be of $1.83 million on the state funeral for the slain former trailblazer Shinzo Abe whose aura inspired many. Alas, whose life also ended in the most uncertain episodes of a gunshot. His death came off as a shocker .Hysteria erupted domestically and reached the International borders spread across like wildfire.The process turned out to be far from the relief of a cathartic experience.
Some of the reactions to the assasination of the mighty leader are heart-wrenching .
“Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi, a good friend of Abe’s, announced that July 9 will be a national day of mourning in India as a mark of “deep respect” for the late Japanese leader. Modi recalled how he visited Abe in his most recent trip to Japan, noting that he did not expect that that meeting would be their last.”
“The president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-Wen, said in a statement that “the international community lost an important leader, but Taiwan has also lost an important and close friend. Taiwan and Japan are both democratic countries with the rule of law, and our government severely condemns violent and illegal acts.”
”In a statement, U.S. President Joe Biden said he was “stunned, outraged, and deeply saddened” by the news. “The longest serving Japanese Prime Minister, his vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific will endure.” Abe fostered strong ties with Washington in his near-decade long rule.”
The government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, a protege of Abe, decided that the state funeral should be entirely financed by public funds. But opinion polls show continued opposition to the idea. In the latest, published on Sunday, 53% of those questioned spoke out against a state funeral. The public has been angered by revelations about the ruling party’s ties to the Unification Church, which the vast majority of poll respondents say have not been fully explained, causing a major headache to Kishida and lowering his support ratings.
The church, founded in South Korea in the 1950s and famous for its mass weddings, has faced questions over the years about how it solicits donations. Abe’s suspected killer, who was arrested at the scene moments after the shooting, holds a grudge against the church, claiming it bankrupted her mother and blamed Abe for promoting her, according to her social media posts and news.
The man is under psychiatric scrutiny, media reports. The last funeral of a fully state-funded prime minister was for Shigeru Yoshida in 1967. The subsequent funeral was paid for by both the state and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), of which Abe was an influential member. Several current and former world leaders are expected to attend and deals are being made for former US President Barack Obama, according to the news. The Kremlin announced in July that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not attend.
