Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe s July assassination has caused the nation s political pundits to reflect on his legacy, with some arguing he jeopardized Japan s democracy and abused his power for personal gain during his eight years as leader.
Two months after he announced a state funeral would be held for Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida belatedly stated his case for the decision at the Diet on Sept. 8.
When former Prime Minister Eisaku Sato died in 1975, ruling party politicians pushed to hold a state funeral for the Nobel Peace Prize winner and then Japan’s longest-serving postwar prime minister.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida moved quickly to lay the groundwork for a state funeral for Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister gunned down July 8 while giving a campaign speech in Nara.