Man sets himself on fire to protest Abe funeral in Tokyo

On September 21, police officers check the scene in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, where a man set himself on fire to protest the state funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Emi Iwata A man believed to be in his 70 s set himself on fire in Tokyo on Sept. 21 to protest the planned state funeral for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, police said.

He has suffered burns over his entire body but is conscious and in stable condition at a hospital, they said.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department a pedestrian reported seeing a man in flames on a street near the prime minister's office in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward around 6: 50 a.m. on Sept. 21.

The Tokyo Fire Department said a police officer who was trying to extinguish the fire suffered a burn on the right arm.

At the scene, police found a handwritten letter that said, As an individual, I vehemently opposes the state funeral. According to the Kojimachi Police Station and other sources, the man told investigators, I poured fuel all over me and set myself on fire. The planned Sept. 27 state funeral in Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo has been met with increasing public criticism.

Those opposed say Abe is unworthy of such a taxpayer-funded ceremony, citing the many scandals that plagued his administration and his security policies that divided the nation.