Japan Holds Controversial State Funeral for Abe
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.
- The service began at 2 p.m. and it 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.
- In the morning, police officers were deployed to Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward near the venue to prevent civil disruption, as opponents who rallied to protest against the ceremony were confronted by supporters.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Sources: CNN, Al Jazeera, Asahi, Guardian, New York Times, and Time.
Narratives
- Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by The Mainichi. 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 deepens public division and endorses the party's highly-disturbing ties with the Unification Church.
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by The Washington Post. Though PM Kishida may have not been the best with the 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.