A long line of people wait to offer flowers in memory of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Pool A flower-offering site opened early in Tokyo on September 27 for the long line of people hoping to pay their respects to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Although Abe's state funeral was scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. at Nippon Budokan hall, officials opened a nearby park for flower offerings about 30 minutes earlier than the planned 10 a.m. start.
A line about 600 meters long had already formed by then.
Some came from as far away as the Osaka and Okayama prefectures in western Japan, although many were from the greater Tokyo metropolitan area.
A 31-year-old local government official from Nagoya took a paid day off to take the first Shinkansen bullet train to Tokyo so he could offer flowers.
Abe's efforts to strengthen Japan's alliance with the United States and partially allow the exercise of the right to collective self-defense had contributed to peace for Japan and Asia, he said.
A 25-year-old graduate student from Chiba Prefecture said he offered flowers in appreciation for Abe's achievements, especially his Abenomics package of economic measures that made finding employment much easier.
Almost none of my friends had problems landing a job, he said. Economic policy helped create a bright future. Protesters were in the area expressing their displeasure at the use of public funds for the funeral. The state funeral is expected to draw around 3,600 participants as well as about 700 individuals representing 218 foreign nations, regions and international organizations.
Condolence speeches will be given by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who served as chief cabinet secretary under Abe during his eight-year second stint as prime minister.