Massive protests as Japan honours ex-PM Shinzo Abe at costly state funeral

Protests against the state funeral for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who was assassinated on the campaign trail in July were seen on Tuesday ahead of the service.

The protests, which have continued for around 2 months, have become a major problem for Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The costs for the state funeral for Shinzo Abe have been estimated to be at 1.7 billion yen, approximately $12 million which has angered many in Japan who believe the state-funded celebration for Japan’s heavily indebted government is unfair.

Shinzo Abe State Funeral: Anti-state funeral protesters demonstrate in a street near the Nippon Budokan ahead of the state funeral for former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo.(AFP)
Japan’s prime minister Fumio Kishida has attempted to assuage public concerns many times since the start of the protests as the controversy undermines his proposed record defense spending increase. Kishida’s approval ratings have reached at the lowest level since he assumed office in October.

On Tuesday, Tokyo remained under maximum security expecting protests opposing the state funeral. Last week, a man apparently set himself on fire near the office of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida protesting against the state funeral.