INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Japanese and foreign dignitaries paid tribute to assassinated former prime minister Shinzo Abe at a controversial state funeral on Tuesday,
in Tokyo, where a 19-gun salute sounded in honour of the slain former leader.The motorcade carrying his remains had travelled from his
people stood in line as the ashes arrived, waiting to deliver flowers and say a prayer in two mourning tents.Toru Sato, 71, leaned on his
To be honest, I also came because there has been so much opposition
strategy.He resigned in 2020 over recurring health problems, but remained a key political voice and was campaigning for his ruling party
when a lone gunman killed him on July 8.The shooting sent shock waves through a country with famously low gun crime and prompted
international condemnation.But the decision to give him a state funeral -- only the second for a former premier in the post-war period --
killer targeted the former leader believing he had ties to the Unification Church, which he resented over massive donations his mother had
political establishment, with the ruling party admitting around half its lawmakers had links to the religious organisation.Prime Minister
Fumio Kishida has pledged the party will sever all ties with the church, but the scandal helped fuel discontent over the state
reportedly expressing his objection to the event.Some lawmakers from opposition parties are also boycotting the funeral.The controversy has
various causes, with some accusing Kishida of unilaterally approving the funeral instead of consulting parliament, and others resentful of a
estimated 4,300 people including 700 foreign invitees, will drown out the controversy.US Vice President Kamala Harris and world leaders
including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian premier Anthony Albanese were among those in attendance.Abe worked to cultivate
India and Australia.The mourners will hear eulogies from Kishida and politicians including Yoshihide Suga, who succeeded Abe after his
to lead mourners in offering flowers at the end of the 90-minute service.Source: AFP
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://adaderana.lk
