Japan To Hold State Funeral For Late Shinzo Abe, PM Kishida: Our Grief

People packed the area in front of Zojoji Temple where Shinzo Abe's funeral ceremony was held. (Wikimedia Commons/匿名)

JAKARTA - Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that Japan will hold a state funeral in Autumn to honor the late Shinzo Abe, who was killed last week while campaigning in Nara City.

Earlier this week, a private funeral was held for Japan's longest-serving leader and was attended by bereaved family members, as well as a limited number of relatives and other people close to him.

The last time Japan held a state funeral was in 1967 for Shigeru Yoshida, who served as prime minister as the country rose from the ruins of World War II.

"By conducting a state funeral, we mourn (death) former Prime Minister Abe, showing our determination to defend democracy resolutely without succumbing to violence," PM Kishida said at a press conference, reported Kyodo News July 14.

Abe's sudden death shortly before Sunday's Advisory Council election shocked the country, known for strict gun control and rare political violence.

Prime Minister Kishida said the late Abe deserved a state funeral for his significant contributions to Japan, including leading recovery efforts from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which triggered the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, reviving the Japanese economy and pursuing diplomacy based on the Japan-US alliance.

The late prime minister Abe was highly praised by the international community, and his death as a result of the 'barbaric' act that shook the foundations of democracy during the campaign, has led to mourning and condolences being offered at home and abroad, Kishida said.

After Abe's death, people gathered outside the Buddhist temple where his funeral was held Tuesday, forming long lines to lay flowers and pay their respects at the headquarters of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Tokyo.

As previously reported, the LDP, along with its coalition partner Komeito, won a landslide victory on Sunday, two days after the shooting of Shinzo Abe.

PM Kishida has vowed to move forward with discussions about revising the Constitution, an unattainable goal of Abe, who remains an influential figure within the party and in Japan's political landscape, even after he stepped down as prime minister in 2020.