TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd September, 2022) Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Friday that Tokyo will hold several meetings at the highest level and the level of foreign ministries the day before and after the state funeral for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
"Many foreign officials are expected to attend the state funeral (for Abe). Bilateral meetings will be held as concentrated as possible the day before the funeral and the day after. Our country will embrace and develop the diplomatic legacy that Shinzo Abe left behind. This is the intention we want to demonstrate to the world and domestically," Hayashi told a briefing in Tokyo.
Abe was attacked on July 8 in the Japanese city of Nara during a campaign speech. His killer, Tetsuya Yamagami, approached the politician from behind and fired two shots from a distance of about 10 meters (33 feet). Police said Abe was conscious immediately after being wounded, but then, during transportation to a hospital, his condition became critical with cardiac and pulmonary arrest. Later in the day, the Nara Medical University hospital pronounced him dead. Abe was 67. His funeral and cremation took place on July 12.
Abe's state funeral will be held on September 27, making it the second state funeral for a former prime minister since World War II. The first one was held in 1967 for Shigeru Yoshida. Other prime ministers received a joint Cabinet Office and Liberal Democratic Party service.
Abe's state funeral provoked a mixed reaction in society since the decision on the funeral had been made at the government meeting without the parliament's participation.
Over 6,000 Japanese and foreign officials are expected to attend Abe's funeral. An altar for laying flowers will be set up for citizens.
