Abe's state funeral to cost ¥250 million

The price tag, which does not include the costs of security by police …

Perhaps the chief cost is being omitted, particularly if you’ve ever witnessed how many Japanese police get mobilized to prepare for and participate in such a spectacle.

Well, I know one place they could send the bill!

An Aug 10-11 nationwide telephone poll conducted by Kyodo News showed 56.0 percent were unconvinced by Kishida's explanation for why it is appropriate to hold a state funeral for Abe, while 42.5 percent said they accepted it.

People opinion doesn't matter in Japan, they'll just proceed.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/17/tokyo-olympics-more-than-80-of-japanese-oppose-hosting-games-poll

The money is a drop in the bucket. As much as I prefer the other party, I believe an assassination deserves an official funeral.

going to cost the Japanese government around 250 million yen,

Japanese tax payer. I doubt the LDP members are self funding it.

Maybe they could use the money to retrain the incompetent security staff that were supposed to be protecting him

250 million means at least 500 million.

LDP can and should shoulder the costs. Not us tax payers. Give us a break, why don’t you?!

Wow, that’s a hefty price tag! I think he didn’t deserve to die but honestly he did nothing extraordinary as prime minister other than being in power long enough for other world leaders to actually recognize him on the global stage. How many PM’s after Koizumi were before him and lasted less than a year? And he was one of them directly after Koizumi and then got a second chance and lasted almost 9 years. I don’t know, maybe he does deserve a state funeral out of respect.

The LDP cabinet members / lawmakers should foot the bill for this instead of the taxpayers since they are the ones who are so determined to have the state funeral!

The organizations he worked for should fund it, not taxpayers.

https://rapt-neo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/2013_3gatu9gatu_abe.jpg

To cover the expense, can we solicit donations from the Unification Church? :)

Love him or hate him he was Japan's longest serving PM and he was assassinated during a political event. He should recieve a state funeral.

A price tag that should be paid by the politicians.

The PM should be honored with a state funereal

Kishida expressed in July his intention to hold a state funeral for the former leader, citing his record eight years and eight months as prime minister as well as the significant recognition he garnered in the international community.

Aside from the emperor, the head of state, we need some objective criteria to decide if dead political leaders are qualified for a state funeral. Kishida only stressed achievement of the longest terms and mandates for Abe. The ruling length might be a relevant factor, but should it be all? The only postwar precedent for the state funeral, Yoshida Shigeru had served as PM in a much shorter time than Abe.

He was disdainful of the constitution and democracy and displayed a poor understanding of the financial circumstances of the average resident of Japan. Yet we have to pay for his funeral. His family or his political party have more than enough money to pay for this.

Obviously bill the Unification Church. For the public (through the govt) to fund this is letting this cult screw people twice.

RIP Mr Abe.

You don’t deserve a state funeral and the people should not be forced to pay for it.

Cheap!! considering that it costs 3,000,000 yen for the average person in Japan.

The bar for a state funeral has been set very low.

He is already dust a huge picture of him bedecked with floral arrangements and a crowd of old people shuffling around should cost nothing to tax payers.

Mr. Abe Twice was the leader of the LDP, he also was a "supporter" of the U Church, and spent most of his life as a public servant therefore I believe all 3 parties should share the burden and give the man a formal and respectable funeral.

This is a joke

The organizations he worked for should fund it, not taxpayers.

You are correct. He worked for the people of Japan. We should fund it.

None of this is Mr Abes fault. Let him rest in peace. Very sad how he was killed.

We are increasing the defense budget, practically giving money to other countries, paying the debt owed to the Olympics, gave money towards failed establishments during the pandemic, paid for masks that ended up in a storage facility somewhere, gave money to Dentsu, and now we are giving money towards a rich politician's funeral? Where is this money coming from? Last time I checked, Japan has seen little to no growth in the last decade!

Unless covered by a state, it wouldn't be (called) state funeral.

@obladiToday  07:08 am JST

The money is a drop in the bucket. As much as I prefer the other party, I believe an assassination deserves an official funeral.

So if he had died from a heart attack no state funeral by your rationale, right?

Could we hit up the unification church for the money? They are good for it.

If you spend your life paying taxes you deserve a state funeral. If you spend your life consuming taxpayer money, you got, you spent that money for a state funeral. So no

@Alfie Noakes 'The organizations he worked for should fund it, not taxpayers.'

My feeling exactly.

is going to cost the Japanese government around 250 million yen, government sources said Thursday.

talk about arrogance.

Putting on a “250 million yen” funeral, which will most likely end up costing 750 million yen.

And then blatantly telling the very opposed public straight to their face that’s it’s going to happen, no matter if they approve or not.

“not only are we going to waste your tax dollars as we please, but we’re going to boast about it as we do it! What are you gonna do about that, suckers?!?!??”

The state funeral is clearly a very late retaliation against the state funeral of Shigeru Yoshida, a post-war prime minister whom the Japanese right despises and still publishes slanderous books about. (Yes, the same ones who like to tell others to stop "dwelling on the past".)

They can have their fun. He and his cronies have already cost the taxpayer much more than this. I'm pretty sure history won't be kind to this PM's legacy.

RIP, Mr. Shinzo! You got JFK'ed and the media helped to sweep everything under the rug by blaming a church that didn't have anything to do with it. How about using his party's funds for bringing him out of retirement due to his "poor health" and having him campaign when he should've been relaxing at home?

Is that because they’ll be handing out iPhone 14 Pro’s to those who attend ?

Hosting Olympics for Politicians - Wonder how many countries& reps. have already opted in to attend the state funeral

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has not shown the political foresight to judge the public mood or take careful consideration on whether a lavish state funeral is appropriate under the circumstances of former prime minster Abe tragic death, or his political career.

This whole moonies/cult influence/link could become centerstage at a future trail, and subsequently a source of acute political embarrassment.

The costs of a state funeral, and most importantly the use of public/tax payers’ money, to budget and finance such an occasion without any thought of how the media and public would react/require scrutiny, or the level of debate such an action would attract.

It is frankly an appalling over sight.

There could have been alternatives, a simple more appropriate memorial funded through private donations would have shown recognition/respect for Abe political career without drawing attention to the controversy that sometime dogged the former prime minster throughout his terms in office

An Aug 10-11 nationwide telephone poll conducted by Kyodo News showed 56.0 percent were unconvinced by Kishida's explanation for why it is appropriate to hold a state funeral for Abe, while 42.5 percent said they accepted it.

Those against Abe's state funeral and/or infuriated about all those ties to this evil cult... and the way LDP has been and still doing things, show up and vote for oppositions to kick LDP down to one of oppositions. Those who can't vote, well, keep whining here. Decision like this should not be turned over, once believed and decided it being worth, as easily just because of opinion polls as a nation on the peninsula. At least, it is not Abe himself who decided it.

That's a lot of tax payer money for someone so despised and aledgedly corrupt.

send bill to moonies...why taxpayers have to pay for it?

show up and vote for oppositions to kick LDP down to one of oppositions

Abe's grandad and role model has made sure this will always be very difficult with the 1955 system.

Decision like this should not be turned over

Why not? If there is evidence than the majority of the people (i.e. voters) don't agree with it. Isn't that how a democracy should work? Or do we call Japan a democracy only when we want to lift it above other countries and not when a decision liked by nationalists in power is questioned?

Abe's state funeral to cost ¥250 million

Well, that's the sticker price, fellow taxpayers.

Brace yourselves for the On-The-Road price.

It’s sad the way he went, but continuing to screw the taxpayers even after his death is quite an achievement. maybe the politicians can pay to for the funeral out of their own pockets. Let’s see how generous they are with the costs then…..

An Aug 10-11 nationwide telephone poll conducted by Kyodo News showed 56.0 percent were unconvinced by Kishida's explanation for why it is appropriate to hold a state funeral for Abe, while 42.5 percent said they accepted it.

People opinion doesn't matter in Japan, they'll just proceed.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/17/tokyo-olympics-more-than-80-of-japanese-oppose-hosting-games-poll

Also, remember that it was only one year ago that the Olympics were held without spectators due to Covid. Now, the government is sponsoring a mega-spreader event at the height of Covid in this country!

support the state funeral for abe san. he did a lot to protect japan. tax payers money went to many wrong

programs, better cut other unnecessary funding.

show up and vote for oppositions to kick LDP down to one of oppositions

Abe's grandad and role model has made sure this will always be very difficult with the 1955 system.

The issue of voting parity again? or what? Current oppositions have ruled the nation twice since 1955,

hence it is not impossible.

Decision like this should not be turned over

Why not? If there is evidence than the majority of the people (i.e. voters) don't agree with it. Isn't that how a democracy should work? Or do we call Japan a democracy only when we want to lift it above other countries and not when a decision liked by nationalists in power is questioned?

Opinion polls or demonstration( it is not secret so many of non-Japanese are marching there holding up placards in weird Japanese) are not democratically supervised and not the ones to make final say.

Election is.

It says they will be inviting over 6000 people. Do members of the public get to attend? It would be bloody cheeky to use taxpayers money and then exclude them. But we all know what little regard the LDP has for the serfs that fill government coffers.

You’re not invited Mountaineer, you just get to PAY for it.

Maybe they could use the money to retrain the incompetent security staff that were supposed to be protecting him

It's what he would have wanted....

Current oppositions have ruled the nation twice since 1955,

Not a sign of a functional democracy.

Opinion polls or demonstration( it is not secret so many of non-Japanese are marching there holding up placards in weird Japanese) are not democratically supervised and not the ones to make final say.

Theoretically, in representative democracy, politicians follow their constituents wishes. Protests and polls are, therefore, instrumental to the democratic process. One vote every two or four years is way too little to make decisions on each issue.

The controversial state funeral for slain former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe next month is going to cost the Japanese government around 250 million yen, government sources said Thursday.

The government has no money without people’s taxes, so why not say this event will cost the people of Japan approx. 250 million yen.

A phone poll is the amount of participation of opinion the people who are supposed to pay for this, are given.

And even then, the majority said no.

The globalists throughout all the world’s governments are all acting with the same arrogance and impunity, like dictators.

Pretty cheap for a Moonie funeral... They must be doing special discount 'mates rates'.

Shouldn't the unification church pay, and all the politicians that are in their pocket? Why should ordinary tax payers foot the bill?

I'm not current with the present value of the yen currency but this sounds like an obscene cost to me.

Paul14Today  12:21 pm JST

Shouldn't the unification church pay, and all the politicians that are in their pocket? Why should ordinary tax payers foot the bill?

YES. If Abe was associated with the Moonies, let those cultist freaks pay for it. Chumps!

¥250 million is $1,851,851.

About ¥2 per citizen.

¥2 per citizen too much make it ¥0 per citizen and I won't have a problem with it.

And some people wonder why trust in government in general is plummeting. They just treat us as their person ATM. The LDP and anyone else who cares to donate should be footing the bill for this event, not the taxpayers.

Current oppositions have ruled the nation twice since 1955,

Not a sign of a functional democracy.

How so? I know you're not the only one who say so without presenting theoretical grounds

Theoretically, in representative democracy, politicians follow their constituents wishes. Protests and polls are, therefore, instrumental to the democratic process. One vote every two or four years is way too little to make decisions on each issue.

OK, then a nation should supervise polls in depts, not just one result conducted just by a media every time before making each decision if that is what you think is functional democracy, only to end up running around in confusion by the result 54% Unconvinced

How so? I know you're not the only one who say so without presenting theoretical grounds

You're defending the status quo which puts very little pressure on you to present any "theoretical grounds" or evidence.

Anyway, the fact that a different party than the LDP won only twice in almost seventy years only demonstrates my point that it's overwhelmingly difficult for other parties to win. This is by design, thanks to the 1955 system. Unless, of course, you think the LDP has always been doing a great job and that's why everybody loves them. The second part could actually become increasingly true given how Abe has managed to suppress press freedom during his time in office.

You're defending the status quo which puts very little pressure on you to present any "theoretical grounds" or evidence.

Hahaha I am not defending status quo, you believe it or not. Unlike China, one party rules without election process, media and protesters are being suppressed much more severely, LDP has been ruling as results of proper election process (except technical parity issue, and yet even this issue theoretically could work both ways, meaning in favor for oppositions).

Anyway, the fact that a different party than the LDP won only twice in almost seventy years only demonstrates my point that it's overwhelmingly difficult for other parties to win.

Oppositions ain't doing enough. That's all.

This is by design, thanks to the 1955 system. Unless, of course, you think the LDP has always been doing a great job and that's why everybody loves them. The second part could actually become increasingly true given how Abe has managed to suppress press freedom during his time in office.

You know there' re clothespin votes, not just question of LDP if it has been doing great job or not. a kind of avoiding getting even worse.

Something strange going on?

James had 2 upvotes, I gave him another one and now he has only 1 upvote.

??

It's not just a matter of scale. CDPJ and DPFP (Ex-DPJ) and Ishin have been proven equally corrupted (if it is the adjective you JT experts wanna use). So go to the election and vote for JCP and Reiwa and lead Japan toward quasi-communist country.

It never occurred to ruling government politicians to seek the advice of there own constituents.

How should the country commemorate Abe san legacy/memory?

Why was left to just a few chosen cabinet members to be involved in the decision making process?

Surely Abe term in office was to represent the nation. irrespective of where voters place that cross in the ballot box.

This funeral should have firstly be allocated time for full cross party discussion, in parliament?

Abe in heaven will be happy that the Y250 million is funded to help those people and business affected by covid19 crisis instead !. Lavish funeral is to comfort and honor the living, not the dead.

That is a whole bunch of (my) money wasted.

You know there' re clothespin votes, not just question of LDP if it has been doing great job or not. a kind of avoiding getting even worse.

Actually, things are getting worse. In the last 20 or so years, unions have been made effectively useless, income disparity has been rising, history textbooks have been changing, academics with controversial views have been denied research opportunities (I mean Suga's decision 2 years ago) and freedom of press has deteriorated dramatically since 2009. One thing I agree on is that some voters do vote for the LDP because they are happy with how things. However, claiming that only at 2 points in the last 70 years there has been meaningful competition against the LDP is quite extraordinary.

Also, why does everybody like to pick the worst possible example to prove how "good" Japan is? I mean, of course it resembles a democratic regime more than China. Just like it has fewer mass shootings than the US and less poverty than the Democratic Republic of Congo. That doesn't mean that violence doesn't occur, there are no poor people here and, finally, that Japan's democracy isn't deeply flawed (or purposefully designed to not operate in the interest of Japan's residents).

Anyway, the conversation has strayed away from the topic. I was only reacting to your berating non-citizens for "whining" and voters for not voting enough, I guess (?). If saying, "vote if you can and then leave everything up to the guys in charge" isn't defending the status quo, then I don't know what is.

A small price to pay for a man who stood up to communism and pushed solid conservative values here in Japan and abroad with Japan's allies.

RIP Prime Minister Abe.

Taking into consideration the expected cost of the Olympics vs what it actually costed, we could assume it'll be a lot more than just 250m yen.

ive yet to find any information on where exactly the reserve funds came from

Same place all government funds come from, ie the taxpayer, in one form or another.

master

Today 02:22 pm JST

A small price to pay for a man who stood up to communism and pushed solid conservative values here in Japan and abroad with Japan's allies.

Solid conservative values such as sleaze, cronyism, mismanagement and stagnation?

A no-fly zone is useless. An assassin is not going to shoot from a passing plane!

For political propaganda purpose, 250million yen is cheap!

This is clearly waste of tax.

Besides, "¥250 million" seems to not include security cost.

Moreover, this undemocratic and deceptive political ceremony that calls far-right's carisma who continued to ruin Japan's democracy "defender of democracy" omit even deliberation at the Diet, satisfy only supporters and believers, will be used to beautify and justify his arrogant politics.

It is challenging to decide whether the funeral for Shinzo Abe should do and who should pay for it. There are no correct answers.

Some official polls about the national tax used for this funeral were almost identical. About 50 % agreed, and about 50 % disagreed. 

However, during the financial recession caused by the covid-19 pandemic, many people lost their jobs and struggled to manage their lives.

How many people will be saved by ￥250 million?

I think Abe's family has more than ￥250 million, and they can pay for the funeral by themselves.

If the government decides to use the national tax for this funeral, we can only obey this.

Well, I just paid my one-year tax, I've no complaint. Abe deserves a beautiful and memorable funeral. He died from campaigning, he serve his country for the longest year. Why not show love and support instead of criticism.

@Redstorm,

Good theory,but in fact,it isn't just ¥250,000,000.

It will be at least ¥4,000,000,000 when all is said and done.

Talk about kicking sand in someone's face.

Curious to see why Nippon Kaigi hasn't jumped at the opportunity to foot the bill. The man was, after all, a consummate patriot in their eyes: he did more to push Japan rightwards towards his (nationalist and revisionist) vision of a "beautiful" country.

You know there' re clothespin votes, not just question of LDP if it has been doing great job or not. a kind of avoiding getting even worse.

Actually, things are getting worse. In the last 20 or so years,

I was trying to say, there' re voters who could think things would have been much worse if in the hands of oppositions, , do you understand what I mean? Also if you know how things were like 20 years ~30 years ago , sure, I agree things getting worse. Rather than meaningless exchange, what is it? Do you think DPJ or JCP should have ruled better this nation for last 20~30 years?

unions have been made effectively useless, income disparity has been rising, history textbooks have been changing, academics with controversial views have been denied research opportunities (I mean Suga's decision 2 years ago) and freedom of press has deteriorated dramatically since 2009.

Unions? Sorry, sounding a bit communism...does that include such political far-left quasi-anti-social forces with which Kiyomi Tsujimoto in CDPJ has had ties with in depts?

Income disparity , yet still tight, I believe, here in Japan even compared to CCP China, that's why Japan has been described the most successful socialist country. Look at Forbs ranking for example.

Academics with controversial views have been denied research opportunities (I mean Suga's decision 2 years ago):....

Ah, those morons, yep, Suga did very good job. One of those morons dared to say in public... " If you touch us, you would lose ruling status". Who the heck do you think he thinks he is. The law clearly stipules the cabinet makes final decision. Besides, how come the tax payers, us, must keep feeding these social scientists, humanists, liberal arts, who doesn't contribute much other than spitting to blame Abe and LDP? Science Council of Japan should be well balanced back toward someone majoring in real science, practical study.

One thing I agree on is that some voters do vote for the LDP because they are happy with how things. However, claiming that only at 2 points in the last 70 years there has been meaningful competition against the LDP is quite extraordinary.

Fine. so which party should have been ruling instead, you think?

Also, why does everybody like to pick the worst possible example to prove how "good" Japan is? I mean, of course it resembles a democratic regime more than China. Just like it has fewer mass shootings than the US and less poverty than the Democratic Republic of Congo. That doesn't mean that violence doesn't occur, there are no poor people here and, finally, that Japan's democracy isn't deeply flawed (or purposefully designed to not operate in the interest of Japan's residents).

I don't remember , for example, I have ever mentioned how good Japan is. Like I said, I am not defending status-quo. I would rather say I desperately hoping some strong opposition party be born, but not quasi-communists, not the one owned by cult or by sham Japanese citizenships.

Anyway, the conversation has strayed away from the topic. I was only reacting to your berating non-citizens for "whining" and voters for not voting enough, I guess (?). If saying, "vote if you can and then leave everything up to the guys in charge" isn't defending the status quo, then I don't know what is.

The point is " Get very serious in election" . Of course, the current election system itself has flaws here and there, I don't deny it.

Those who carry multiple passports, not to mention those who just be here for jobs, cannot be as serious as Japanese citizen who basically stuck on this country for life. They are free to keep whining but calling Japanese voters SHEEP is ridiculous and nothing but disgusting hate speech.

Keep arguing 250 million yen? Let us cut the crap. You have got to pay tax wherever you go and live without a voice. If you can't stand it, naturalize and dump your other passports and vote. or even run the office and change it by yourselves in the way you like.

@obladiToday  07:08 am JST

The money is a drop in the bucket. As much as I prefer the other party, I believe an assassination deserves an official funeral.

So if he had died from a heart attack no state funeral by your rationale, right?

Well, he was working (campaigning) when he was killed. I don't support the man's policies, but, yeah, I think he gave his life for the job and he deserves a public ceremony.

Let UC organizes his funeral and covers the cost, According to various polls, over 70% of Japanese people are against the state spending on his funeral while his involvement with UC is not yet throughly clarified.

I'm sure that there are better uses that 250 Million Yen could be put towards, if all 6400 had to fund this expense themselves, just under 40,000 yen each, would they all go ?

The LDP is so corrupted, they are using a dead man's funeral for political gains, earning sympathy for both domestic and diplomatic purposes and they don't mind to let the taxpayers to pay the bill.

“how dare those Morons” kinda rough talk for a JT post? Good to know you see it my way. 30-40 years of dropping the ball.

You think 80 more years of “big winners” the way to go?

hands of oppositions, , do you understand what I mean? Also if you know how things were like 20 years ~30 years ago , sure, I agree things getting worse. Rather than meaningless exchange, what is it? Do you think DPJ or JCP should have ruled better this nation for last 20~30 years?

That’s bare of any logic. Neither the dead victim, nor we all survivors have anything positive from it. Idiotic, not more, not less.

Abe's already had his commemoration ceremony, hosted by the Unification Church.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/08/3cdec32dfbbf-unification-church-affiliated-group-commemorates-abe-in-s-korea.html

The controversial state funeral for slain former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe next month is going to cost the Japanese government around 250 million yen

Correction:

The controversial state funeral for slain former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe next month is going to cost Japanese taxpayers around 250 million yen, who will then see consumption tax rise next year because there's suddenly not enough money.

Seems a bit cheap for a highly popular world leader at home and abroad.!.

The 250 million yen bill for this funerary orgy should be paid for by the LDP. Why? Not simply because Abe was LDP but because what the LDP have planned is an obscene extravaganza promoting the LDP. Tax payers should not have shell out for it.

That money could have gone to help SOOOOOOO many other people.