THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
July 14, 2022 at 19:02 JST
People gather in front of Zojoji temple in Tokyo’s Minato Ward on July 12 to see off the hearse carrying the body of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. (Tetsuro Takehana)
A state funeral will be held for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe this autumn, which will be only the second for a former prime minister since the end of World War II.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made the announcement at his news conference on July 14.
Saying Abe’s achievements as prime minister were outstanding, Kishida said, “Holding a state funeral for him will be an expression of our intention to resolutely protect our democracy and never bend to violence.”
Abe, 67, was shot to death on July 8 while giving a campaign speech in Nara.
His state funeral will be the first accorded a former prime minister since one held in 1967 for Shigeru Yoshida.
Sources said the protocol used in that state funeral will be followed for the one for Abe.
Some within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party had called for a state funeral for Abe, given that he was the longest-serving prime minister.
Mourners say goodbye to Abe as crowds pack Tokyo streets
July 12, 2022
Condolences for Abe’s death pour in from across the globe
July 13, 2022
Blinken visits Tokyo, brings U.S. condolences to Kishida
July 11, 2022
Taiwan vice president makes rare Japan visit to pay respects to Abe
July 12, 2022
VOX POPULI: An era ends with Abe’s death as we struggle to process the loss
July 13, 2022
Holes found at church facility likely came from gun in Abe attack
July 12, 2022
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
