‘An excuse to purge’: Japan PM removes Abe supporters in cabinet reshuffle

Seven members of the imperial family will be present, although neither the emperor nor empress will attend.

In total, around 6,000 people will pay their respects at the Nippon Budokan. Many more are expected to say their farewells outside the hall and at venues around the country, where security will also be tightened.

“Abe made major contributions to every part of Japanese life, but particularly in the area of international diplomacy. I think this was reflected in the fact that the US Senate passed a unanimous motion expressing their shared sorrow at his death,” said Yoichi Shimada, a professor at Fukui Prefectural University who advised Abe on international relations while he was in power.

“It is quite natural to pay my respects to a former leader and an internationally recognised statesman – and I find it difficult to comprehend why opposition politicians and members of the public are opposed to a state funeral,” said Shimada, adding he would pay his respects at a ceremony in Fukui City.

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State funeral for former Japanese leader Shinzo Abe faces growing public backlash

State funeral for former Japanese leader Shinzo Abe faces growing public backlash

Public opposition has primarily focused on the cost of the funeral, which has risen from just 250 million yen (US$1.73 million) in the government’s original estimate to 2.86 billion yen (US$20 million), with security and hosting foreign dignitaries factored into the total figure.

Members of the Japanese Communist Party, the Social Democratic Party, Reiwa Shinsengumi and the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan will not take part in the ceremony, with some claiming they felt they were being “forced” to mourn Abe’s death by the government’s decision.

Courts have also dismissed a number of legal challenges brought by citizens’ groups against the government.

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Abe, who previously led the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was shot on July 8 in Nara as he campaigned for the Upper House election and died later the same day in hospital.

Police have charged Tetsuya Yamagami with shooting Abe with a home-made gun. Yamagami reportedly said he acted in protest against the church’s growing influence over Japanese politicians, including Abe.

Those revelations have triggered public concern that the church was able to influence government decision-making, with Kishida’s support rate declining as a result of the admissions.

A poll on September 19 by the centrist Mainichi newspaper put the prime minister’s approval rating at just 29 per cent – a plunge from the 60 per cent he enjoyed at the turn of the year – while a survey by the conservative Yomiuri paper on September 5 showed just 38 per cent of people in favour of a state funeral for Abe, with 56 per cent opposed.

Hiromi Murakami, a professor of political science at the Tokyo campus of Temple University, said the Unification Church affair had shaken public trust in elected leaders.

“The general public had no idea of the depth of the ties between the church and the LDP and this has only been revealed by the killing of Abe,” she said.

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“The fact that those ties were hidden, that the government investigation has revealed the number of politicians with links to the church – and more is coming out every day, it seems – has really shocked people.

“Yes, the question of the state funeral has been controversial, but long-standing LDP supporters that I know are now telling me they are seriously thinking of not voting for them in the next election,” she said.

“This problem has really embedded itself in people’s minds. The next election is three years away … but people will never forget.”