Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - Shinzo Abe , the former prime minister of Japan who was fatally shot at a campaign rally earlier this m...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan who was fatally shot at a campaign rally earlier this month, will be given a state funeral on September 27, according to a top official and ruling party source on Wednesday.
At the cabinet meeting on Friday, a formal decision will be made, they stated.
The venue will be the Nippon Budokan, an arena constructed for the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games that has since become a well-liked location for sporting events and concerts as well as the location of an annual service honouring those who lost their lives in World War Two on August 15.
Abe, 67, will receive a state funeral in honour of being Japan's longest-serving prime minister and his services to both Japan and the globe, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced last week.
Shigeru Yoshida, a former prime minister, had the final state funeral, in which the government covers all expenses for the service, in 1967. More recent funeral expenses were split 50/50 between the state and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
The topic has generated discussion across Japan, with some opposing to the use of public dollars and others claiming the LDP is exploiting Abe's passing for political gain.
NHK, a public broadcaster, polled its audience over the weekend, finding that 38% were opposed to the concept and 49% were in favour.
Most supporters were between the ages of 18 and 39 (61%) whereas opponents were mostly older people (51%)
