Protests erupt as Japan honours former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with a lavish state funeral

• Image Credit: Internet

• Sep 27, 2022 | Sourav Boruah

Digital Desk: Protesters gather in Tokyo to oppose Japan's former Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe's state funeral. 

Protests were seen
on Tuesday ahead of the state funeral for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe, who was assassinated on the campaign trail in July. The protests, which
have lasted roughly two months, have become a major headache for Japan's Prime
Minister, Fumio Kishida.

The estimated cost of Shinzo Abe's
state funeral is 1.7 billion yen, or $12 million, which has enraged many
Japanese, who believe the state-funded celebration for Japan's heavily indebted
government is unjust.

Shinzo Abe State Funeral: Anti-state
funeral protesters gather in a street near the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo ahead of
former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's state funeral.

Since the beginning of the protests, Japan's Prime Minister
Fumio Kishida has attempted to assuage public concerns numerous times, as the
controversy undermines his proposed record defense spending increase. Kishida's
approval ratings are at their lowest since he took office in October.

 Tokyo remained on high alert on Tuesday, anticipating
protests against the state funeral. Last week, a man apparently set himself on
fire near Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's office in protest of the
state funeral.