Japan holds contentious state funeral for assassinated leader Shinzo Abe

Japan says goodbye to former prime minister Shinzo Abe in a lavish state funeral on Tuesday, despite protests from the public about the cost of the ceremony as the nation struggles with the memory of their late leader. In July, Abe, the longest-serving prime minister in Japan, was fatally shot while giving a campaign rally in Nara, shocking a country where gun violence is relatively uncommon. At the service at the Nippon Budokan Arena in Tokyo, more than 4,300 people are anticipated to attend, including foreign leaders including US Vice President Kamala Harris and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A video homage to Abe's life and career was played by the government as his ashes were carried into the location. Then, in a memorial speech, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida praised Abe's "courage" and commitment. Other government heavyweights like former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga – who was Abe’s right hand man for many years – also offered remarks, before participants laid flower gifts and bowed in turn. Other ceremonial procedures on the schedule include an honor guard, cannon salute, and musical performances before a government reception for visiting foreign dignitaries.

Divisions over legacy

People gathered in large groups outside memorial sites on Tuesday morning to pay their respects to Abe, who ruled Japanese politics for a decade. But even as they grieved, over 1,000 people participated in anti-funeral rallies in the streets, highlighting the stark public polarisation over the event—first Japan's official funeral for a Japanese leader since 1967. [caption id="attachment_44247" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] People gather to mourn Shinzo Abe at a shrine in Osaka City, Japan, on September 27.[/caption] As they marched close to the funeral place, the crowds yelled protest songs and some carried signs calling for an end to the funeral. Through loudspeakers, protest organizers energized the gathering, as a van rolled by, blaring music from a boom box. Some detractors have blamed Abe's unpopular policies for their anger and questioned why the taxpayers are footing the price for the state funeral, which will cost about $12 million (1.66 billion yen), at a time when the economy is under extreme stress. “It was a tragedy that Abe was gunned down and lost his life, but we shouldn’t make him a hero out of this tragedy,” one protester, Shinsaku Nohira, told CNN at a recent anti-state funeral demonstration outside Japan’s parliament.