Image: Reuters Berita 24 English -- Shinzo Abe , the country's longest-serving prime, was remembered in Japan on Tuesday with prayers, ...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English -- Shinzo Abe, the country's longest-serving prime, was remembered in Japan on Tuesday with prayers, flowers, and flags adorned with black ribbons. Abe was a divisive figure who dominated politics before being fatally shot at a campaign event last week.
As the hearse transporting Abe left a major Tokyo temple in the early afternoon, crowds crowded the sidewalks that were heavily police-patrolled. As it passed, people cheered, clapped, and waved, some carrying flowers.
On Monday night and Tuesday morning, hundreds of people poured into the temple to pay their respects to Abe, who passed away at the age of 67. In a country where political violence and gun crime are incredibly rare, his killing on Friday by an unemployed guy brandishing a handmade gun surprised the public.
The funeral service was private and only open to immediate family and close friends. Akie, Abe's widow, was the main mourner.
The funeral procession was scheduled to pass through Tokyo, stopping at sites like the parliament building, which Abe first entered as a young lawmaker in 1993 after the death of his politician father, and the office from which he led the country in two terms as prime minister, the longer from 2012 to 2020. The funeral procession also planned to pass through Nagatacho, the political hub of the capital.
Long queues of individuals with backpacks and black attire began to develop outside the temple as early as the morning.
One of those who came to offer prayers and flowers to a big portrait of Abe set up inside the temple grounds portraying him in a straightforward white shirt, laughing with his hands on his hips, was 58-year-old teacher Keiko Noumi.
When he was the prime minister in command of the nation, she added, "There was a sense of security." "This is terribly unfortunate because I genuinely supported him,"
Others lined up in front of the offices of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to lay offerings at a temporary shrine that would stay there until Friday. Workers from the party emerge to bring the sweltering mourning cold barley tea.
International leaders have paid their respects, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stopped briefly on his way to the United States from Southeast Asia on Monday morning. On a personal visit as a family friend, Taiwan Vice President William Lai and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen joined the mourners.
According to Kyodo news agency, about 2,000 condolence notes came in from around the world.
GREAT AUDACITY, COURAGE
Following a visit to the Japanese embassy in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his condolences in a video that was shared on the nation's official presidential Twitter account.
"I recall all of our interactions and collaborations, particularly during my visit to Japan in 2019... I lost a good buddy, "a mournful Macron stated.
He bravely and audaciously served his country.
According to Kyodo news agency, quoting investigations, the accused killer, Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, who was detained at the site and later recognised by police, thought Abe had pushed a religious organisation to which his mother had given a "large donation."
The suspect's mother is a member of the Unification Church, which has a loyal following and is known for its large weddings. Whether the mother belonged to any other religious groups was unknown to Reuters.
Yamagami used a 40 cm (16 inch) long (16 inch) homemade weapon covered in black tape to shoot Abe twice from behind.
Hirokazu Matsuno, the chief cabinet secretary, stated at a news conference on Tuesday that the Japanese government will think about whether additional regulation of homemade firearms is necessary.
We are aware that current laws severely restrict all firearms, whether they are created by hand or not, he continued.
The National Public Safety Commission's Satoshi Ninoyu announced at a news conference on Tuesday that he had ordered the formation of a team to look into the security situation surrounding Abe's murder.
The Nikkei Shimbun cited him as stating, "We take this issue quite seriously.
