Many Japanese folk tales are about greedy people getting their just deserts at the state funeral for former prime minister Shinzo Abe held on September 27 at the Nippon Budokan hall in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward Pool. Shitakiri Suzume The Sparrow with the Slit Tongue is a typical example.
A ruthless and avaricious old woman goes to an inn of sparrows and forces the birds to give her a large basket, which she hopes is filled with treasures. When she opens the basket on her way home, terrible monsters leap out of it.
I think Prime Minister Fumio Kishida got a bit too greedy.
It is said that he was able to hold onto the late prime minister's conservative support base because of his decision to hold a state funeral for former prime minister Shinzo Abe.
Kishida probably believed that inviting foreign heads of state from around the world would be convenient for conducting funeral diplomacy. He did not expect the rush of public opinion against the state funeral. He had to do the job of assuring people that nobody would be forced to mourn.
The legal basis for honoring Abe with a state funeral was flimsy, at best. Political scientist Izuru Makihara described it as a faux state funeral in his comments to The Asahi Shimbun.
In July, I warned in this column that one of the dangers of the state funeral was that nationwide mourning could lead to the entire nation extolling Abe in unison.
People are openly criticizing Abe for his ties to the former Unification Church at the moment. It was regrettable that the state funeral had to take place, but at least we seem to have been spared a unanimous glorification of the deceased.
Kishida touched on Abe's efforts to deal with the past kidnappers of Japanese citizens by North Korean agents and said how deeply disappointed it must have been to him that he could not bring all the abductees home.
That comment can be taken as a direct criticism of Abe, as it implies that he didn't produce results despite his record-long years in office.
The public opinion is divided on Abe's policies and doings that range from national security to economics.
I think it is important to assess his achievements and failures as we send him off. Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that covers a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. The column is written by the veteran Asahi Shimbun writers and provides useful insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.