His Post On Twitter Is Considered To Lead To Threats Against Japanese PM Kishida, Police Want Prosecutors To Charge This Man

PM Jepang Fumio Kishida. (Wikimedia Commons/Prime Minister's official residence homepage)

JAKARTA - A man in Japan is facing charges after he was accused of posting a tweet on Twitter that led to threats against Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

"If a state funeral takes place, Kishida will be next," the tweet read.

"It's time to start making handmade weapons," another tweeted, referring to the July killing of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe by a man using a homemade weapon.

The Metropolitan Police Department, notified by someone who saw the man's tweet posted on July 14, referred the case to prosecutors.

Police attach an opinion, a 48-year-old man from Narashino, Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo, should be charged.

The man has admitted to the allegations and told investigators he thinks "if the government is able to use taxpayer money to hold a state funeral (for Abe), they should spend it on anti-coronavirus measures and to help the poor," police said.

It is known that public opinion is divided over the state funeral for Shinzo Abe, which the government plans to hold at the Tokyo arena on September 27.

An Aug. 10-11 national telephone poll conducted by Kyodo News showed that 56.0 percent of respondents were unsure of PM Kishida's explanation of why it was appropriate to hold a state funeral for Abe. While 42.5 percent said they accepted it.

Last July, Prime Minister Kishida said his desire to hold a state funeral for the late Shinzo Abe could not be separated from his dedication and international recognition of his predecessor.