Photo/Illutration The state funeral for former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida in 1967 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

In the autumn of 1967, as many as 80,000 chrysanthemums became urgently needed for the state funeral of former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida at the Nippon Budokan Hall.

Unable to procure so many within the greater Tokyo metropolitan area alone, the funeral director flew to the Kansai region, according to “Ko-Yoshida Shigeru Kokusogi Kiroku,” the government’s official record of Yoshida’s state funeral.

An anecdotal account of a boom in the chrysanthemum market that ensued is included in the record.

Meiji University held its school festival at the hall the day before the funeral. Workers were forced to stay up all night to get the venue ready for the big event.

“As the entire nation mourned, the state funeral was conducted with the utmost solemnity,” the government record concludes.

But from news reports of the time, I see little evidence of “nationwide” mourning.

At Tokyo Station, goes one story, only a handful of people complied when urged to stand still and bow their heads in prayer.

The funeral itself later became a topic of heated controversy in the Diet, where the exorbitant cost of the chrysanthemums was met with disbelief and outrage, and questions were raised about the legitimacy of leaving decision-making entirely to the Cabinet.

Fifty-five years after Yoshida’s state funeral at the Nippon Budokan Hall, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is to be given his send-off at the same venue. The cost will top 1.6 billion yen ($11.1 million).

Yoshida’s funeral was held 11 days after his death. For Abe, it will be 81 days after his death.

Opponents of the event have stepped up their signature-collecting drives. In front of the Diet building, a banner has been hoisted in protest of “forced mourning.”

The government gave the first state funeral in Japan to Meiji Era (1868-1912) statesman Tomomi Iwakura (1825-1883).

The purpose was to enhance the national prestige by staging a grand funeral.

But the Meiji government had no knowhow and had to hastily consult foreign academics to learn how to obtain parliamentary endorsements and how many artillery salutes should be fired, among other things, according to the book “Kokuso no Seiritsu” (Establishment of a state funeral), by Junichi Miyama.

Machinery and billboards were being set up when I visited the hall yesterday afternoon. For one second, I thought preparations were already being made for Abe’s state funeral.

But no, the arena was being readied for a popular young singer’s concert. A karate event is also scheduled to take place there later this month.

Will there be another all-night rush job to get the Nippon Budokan Hall “funeral ready”? How many chrysanthemums will adorn the altar? And will we taxpayers be footing the entire bill?

--The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 8

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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