The most solemn moments of the Sept. 27 state funeral for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe came during the speeches given by his two successors.

In his condolence speech at Nippon Budokan hall in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pointed out that he and Abe both won their first Lower House seats in the same 1993 election.

He noted that Abe became the youngest postwar prime minister when he assumed the post in 2006 at 52.

“As you were the flagbearer for our generation, I observed with expectations and a sense of excitement at your various attempts to take on fundamental issues of the nation that had been ignored after the end of the war,” Kishida said.

Kishida served in his first Cabinet post--state minister in charge of Okinawa and the Northern Territories--under Abe in 2006.

Kishida said Abe’s achievements during his first stint provided the foundation for where the nation is today. Among the achievements Kishida touched upon were the upgrading of the Defense Agency to ministry status and passage of the law for a national referendum that would be needed to amend the Constitution.

Kishida served as foreign minister during Abe’s second stint as prime minister and praised Abe’s multilayered diplomacy for creating friendly relations with all regions of the world.

“By connecting with the foundation that you laid, I pledge to create a Japan where everyone can shine in an inclusive manner as well as creating a similar region and world,” Kishida said in the conclusion of his speech.

The speech by Yoshihide Suga, who served as chief Cabinet secretary under Abe during his second stint, brought tears to the eyes of Abe’s widow, Akie.

Suga talked about how Abe tried to resolve the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea even before he became prime minister.

“I was truly struck by how you maintained your belief,” Suga said.

Suga also explained how he tried to persuade Abe to run again for president of the Liberal Democratic Party when it was in the opposition in 2012.

Abe had resigned as prime minister in 2007, citing health reasons, and was uncertain about whether to make a second run.

Suga said he met with Abe for three hours at a yakitori restaurant in Tokyo’s Ginza district where he finally got Abe to agree to run for the LDP leadership post.

“I will always feel pride at what was the greatest achievement in the life of Yoshihide Suga,” he said.

With his voice shaking, Suga added: “Even as every day called for determination and decision, you never failed to continue smiling. I was never happier than during the seven years and eight months that I was able to share with you in the joys and sorrows of the prime minister’s office.”

The government announced that 4,183 people attended the state funeral, while around 23,000 came to a nearby park to present flowers.

The flower presentation venue was originally scheduled to close at 4 p.m., but it remained open three hours longer because many people were still there.

Now that the state funeral is over, Kishida will have to deal with public criticism over his decision to hold the event.

He is said to have quickly decided to hold the state funeral to solidify his position within the LDP by winning over Abe’s allies and other conservative elements.

Although some conservative LDP lawmakers said they would support Kishida to the end, Koichi Hagiuda, the LDP policy chief who was close to Abe, told reporters on Sept. 27 that Kishida could have done a better job of explaining to opposition parties and the public why the state funeral was needed.

The prime minister has had to take on the criticism and opposition to the state funeral almost entirely by himself.

One LDP executive said, “Those in the party who said a state funeral should be held became silent the moment the government decided to hold the event.”

Although some in the LDP were optimistic that Cabinet support ratings would pick up once the state funeral was over, Kishida will still have to answer questions in the Diet about the legal basis for the state funeral as well as the ties between Abe and the Unification Church, formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.

(This article was written by Takashi Narazaki, Keishi Nishimura, Kazuki Uechi and Tamiyuki Kihara.)