Shinzo Abe's state funeral draws thousands of protesters and supporters of former Japanese prime minister

MADRID, 27 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Thousands of people have taken to the streets this Tuesday to show their opposition to the holding of a state funeral for the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, while a large number of supporters have laid flowers throughout the day to commemorate the former president's policies.

The protesters, who have criticized that the funeral is carried out with public money, have run into Abe's supporters, who have come to the park near the Nippon Budokan stadium, where the ceremony takes place.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's plan to hold Abe's funeral had already been met with criticism from Japanese public opinion due to the cost and significance of Abe's figure, which could cement a greater division in Japanese society.

Some 15,000 people have gathered in front of the Japanese Parliament throughout the day to protest against the funeral, although another 2,500 have joined a march that runs through the streets from Hibiya Park to Tokyo station, as they have explained the organizers in statements to the Kiodo news agency.

In the vicinity of the Nippon Budokan stadium, more than 200 people have gathered before trying to access the facilities, in which more than 20,000 police officers have been deployed.

Keigo Ikeda, 21, a student at Meiji University, said he "cannot tolerate taxpayers' money being used for the funeral." It is estimated that the cost amounts to 1,600 million yen (about 11.4 million euros), although initially the Government pointed to a cost of 249 million yen (1.7 million euros).

Ikeda has also condemned some of the policies of Abe, whose government led to a reinterpretation of the Constitution and "turned the country into a puppet of the United States."

Others, however, such as Kazuo Mashiba, 61, a former Army member, have pointed out that Abe "helped enhance Japan's security through his vision of a freer Indo-Pacific region."

Abe has been the prime minister of Japan who has spent the longest time in office since he was at the head of the Government for eight years and eight months over two legislatures that ended in September 2020, a factor that has been underlined by Kishida as compelling reason to celebrate the state funeral.