Anthony Albanese and three former PMs to attend Shinzo Abe’s state funeral

Anthony Albanese, Malcolm Turnbull, Tony Abbott, and John Howard will travel to Tokyo later this month.

Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. Picture: Getty Images

Anthony Albanese, Malcolm Turnbull, Tony Abbott and John Howard will travel to Tokyo this month for the state funeral of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot dead in July.

The Japanese government is yet to announce the guest list for the September 27 funeral, but The Australian can reveal the Prime Minister and three of his Liberal predecessors will join more than 6000 other guests at the event.

Mr Albanese will fly Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape to Tokyo on his official jet for the service after bilateral talks between the leaders in Brisbane on September 25.

It is understood Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade secretary Jan Adams – a former ambassador to Japan – will also attend.

Scott Morrison, Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard were invited but indicated they were unable to attend. Mr Morrison was in Tokyo in August and conveyed his condolences directly to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Japan issued an open invitation to the government to identify who should be part of the Australian delegation.

The funeral is controversial in Japan due to its scale and rising cost, which was recently put at more than $17m.

Mr Abe, Japan’s longest-­serving prime minister, was shot and killed at an election rally on July 8. A funeral service was held soon after, but Japan will host the official reception for the former leader at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan arena.

A car carrying the body of Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe leaves Zojoji temple where his funeral was held in July. Picture: Getty Images

Mr Abe was a divisive figure at home but is remembered favourably outside the country as the architect of the Quad – the key Indo-Pacific Quad security bloc comprising Japan, Australia, the US and India.

A Japanese newspaper poll conducted this month found 56 per cent of respondents opposed Mr Abe’s state funeral, with just 38 per cent in favour of the event.

Guests will include more than 190 foreign delegations, with about 50 head-of-state level VIPs.

Mr Albanese declared after Mr Abe was killed that Australia had “lost a true friend”.

“The friendship that Mr Abe offered Australia was warm in sentiment and profound in consequence,” he said.

“During his time as prime minister, no one was more committed to furthering relations between our two nations.”

It will be the second time Mr Albanese has visited Japan since his election, after he travelled to Tokyo for a Quad leaders’ meeting just hours after being sworn in as Prime Minister.