Protesters demand cancellation of Abe’s state funeral

A protester holds a poster showing the image of former prime minister Shinzo Abe at a park in Tokyo on Sept. 23, demanding the cancellation of Abe's state funeral. AP Photo Several hundred protesters demanded the cancellation of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's state funeral as they shouted slogans and waved banners Friday in a Tokyo park.

Abe's policies supported war, demonstrator Mayumi Ishida said, noting Abe consistently tried to raise defense spending. Like others at the protest, Ishida said he feared Abe's views heralded a step back to the days of Japan's militarism preceding World War II.

Abe, who was assassinated in July, was Japan's longest-serving leader and one of the most divisive in the postwar period due to his revisionist view of wartime history, support for a stronger military and what critics call an autocratic approach and cronyism.

The opposition to the state funeral has grown because of politicians who have close ties to the Unification Church. Social media posts attributed to the suspect in Abe's assassination show he blamed the church for ruining his life, and police say he targeted Abe over his links to the organization.

The plan for his state funeral to be held Tuesday has galvanized public opposition against the governing Liberal Democratic party, which has ruled Japan for nearly the entire postwar period.

Hundreds of people have been drawn to protests and marches opposing the state funeral. Earlier this week a man set himself on fire by the prime minister's residence in what was described as a suicide attempt in apparent protest of the funeral.

Yoshiko Kamata, a part-time worker at a convenience store, acknowledged that the state funeral couldn't be stopped, but it was an opportunity to drive home her message that Abe never stood with regular people.

She said we want to show where we stand, noting that dictators were invited to the state funeral. We are not going to forgive Abe just because he is dead. State funerals in Japan have been traditionally reserved for the emperor. The decision to hold one for Abe was made by the Cabinet and did not go through parliamentary approval. Some lawyers groups have challenged its legality.

The funeral official cost is about 1.7 billion yen $12 million, but experts note hidden costs such as security add to the total. At Friday's protest, police were out in large numbers.

Some politicians have announced they will skip the funeral, including governing party lawmaker Seiichiro Murakami, a former Cabinet minister who said it had failed to win public backing.

Abe's state funeral has drawn a lot of comparisons to the recent state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in Britain.

Graduate student Daiki Kikuchi, sipping beer in a British pub in Tokyo while watching the queen's funeral, couldn't help but draw a contrast.

He said that the British culture is watching this, and there is a royal family that people love. He isn't a king.