State funeral to be held for Shinzo Abe at Budokan stadium

The September ceremony will be only the second state funeral for a former prime minister in post-war Japan.

A hearse carrying the body of Shinzo Abe leaves Tokyo’s Zojoji temple on July 12. Picture: Getty Images

Japan will hold a state funeral for assassinated former prime minister Shinzo Abe on September 27, the government announced on Friday, with foreign leaders expected to attend.

The ceremony will be held at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan, a venue that has hosted concerts and sports events, and was used for Japan’s last state funeral for a former prime minister in 1967.

Government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said Abe’s ­record as Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, his “truly praiseworthy” achievements, and his ties with foreign leaders made a state funeral appropriate.

“We will also accept foreign dignitaries, and countries we have diplomatic relationships with will be informed of details.”

Abe, 67, was gunned down on the campaign trail on July 8 in the western city of Nara. His ­accused killer, Tetsuya Yamagami, is in custody and targeted Abe because he believed the former leader was linked to the Unification Church. Mr Yamagami’s mother is reported to have made large donations to the church, which her son blamed for the family’s financial difficulties.

A small private funeral for Abe was held at a temple in Tokyo shortly after his death, with thousands of people gathering outside to lay flowers and offer respects. The September ceremony will be only the second state funeral for a former prime minister in post-war Japan, after that of Shigeru Yoshida. Mr ­Matsuno said the event would be “non-denominational, simple and sombre”, adding that costs were still being studied.

AFP