The state funeral for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was held on Tuesday in the presence of 700 delegates from around the world, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US Vice President Kamala Harris. The rare event was conducted amid huge protests from the general public who were gathered near the Nippon Budokan Arena.
The state funeral began with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida receiving Abe's ashes, kept in a ceremonial box, from his widow Akie. The ashes were then handed over to the military officers, who placed them in the centre of the altar.
Dignitaries who flew down to Tokyo to attend the event included Singapore's PM Lee Hsien Loong, Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, South Korean PM Han Duck-soo, Philippines Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, Indonesia Vice President Ma'ruf Amin, and European Council President Charles Michel.
Amidst tight security, thousands of mourners gathered around the hall in the Japanese capital. As a tribute to the world leader, videos and pictures featuring key moments of Abe with other global leaders were played at the hall. The tribute mainly focused on his efforts to maintain a good relationship with foreign countries. Shinzo Abe has been considered one of the most important forces behind the "Quad" strategic partnership-- an alliance between India, Japan, the US, and Australia.
Up to 1000 soldiers will perform ceremonial duties and a salute will be offered with military honour guards firing 19 blank rounds from a cannon.
Tight security measures were imposed in the city as the funeral is attended by over 20 heads of the state and governments.
Abe's is the second state funeral to be held since World War II. Japan scaled down on such events, usually reserved for members of the Imperial family. The first prime minister to get a state funeral was Shigeru Yoshida in 1967.
Japan's royal family is also expected to pay tributes to Abe at the state funeral. However, according to the media reports, Emperor Naruhito will not be attending the funeral maintaining the line of traditions.
On July 8th, Abe was shot while he was taking part in an election rally in Japan's Nara city. Abe is Japan's longest-serving Prime Minister. He stepped down in 2020 citing health reasons. He was Prime Minister of Japan twice, from 2006-2007 and again in 2012-20.