politics

Civic group asks court to halt state funeral for ex-PM Abe

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A group of 50 people seeks to halt use of the national budget to cement the legacy of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Well, we now know that Japan has at least 50 sensible people.

33 ( +62 / -29 )

There is an online petition that you can sign and show your support to have the state funeral stopped.

https://www.change.org/p/%E5%AE%89%E5%80%8D%E6%99%8B%E4%B8%89%E3%81%AE%E5%9B%BD%E8%91%AC%E3%81%AB%E5%8F%8D%E5%AF%BE%E3%81%97%E3%81%BE%E3%81%99-we-oppose-shinzo-abe-s-state-funeral

35 ( +47 / -12 )

Make the Unification Church pay for it.

57 ( +67 / -10 )

Make Morimoto Gakkuen pay for it.

49 ( +58 / -9 )

I have met and read about many Japanese people who were more deserving had done more for people then this man. He should not be made into something in death he wasn’t in life.

27 ( +53 / -26 )

Arch West the creator of Doritos was buried with Dorito chips. Perhaps we could do the same with Abe's masks. Might save us a bit of our tax payer money. 2 birds 1 stone.

29 ( +45 / -16 )

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno declined to comment on the court motion, but said, "A state funeral is held as a ceremony and does not force a particular political view upon each Japanese or require them to mourn."

The Olympic competitions and ceremonies also required no fans in attendance or anyone to watch.

But like the state funeral every taxpayer in Japan will be required to pay for it.

Facts don't really care about feelings except when it is convenient for those in power, when they want people "United by emotion.".

8 ( +29 / -21 )

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno declined to comment on the court motion, but said, "A state funeral is held as a ceremony and does not force a particular political view upon each Japanese or require them to mourn."

Former PM Nakasone was given a "joint funeral" in October 2020, organized by the Cabinet and the LDP but paid for by the taxpayer, before which the Education Ministry sent out notices to all universities and prefectural boards of education "asking" that messages of sympathy be expressed in some form.

This was opposed by the teachers unions on the grounds that it threatened the supposed political neutrality of the educations system.

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13840925

Abe's funeral should be an LDP affair, paid for by the party - opinion polls are showing that LDP voters support it while a majority of non-LDP voters are against.

29 ( +42 / -13 )

The Kishida government plans a state funeral to demonstrate the majority of the nation’s respect and affection for the slain former prime minister, but the fact that pros and cons have occurred about it seems to indicate that the government has done the contrary.

6 ( +19 / -13 )

Former PM Nakasone was given a "joint funeral"

Ya. I want one of those type of funerals when I pass the... spark it up!

S

-3 ( +8 / -11 )

this is going to go on and on we will continuously be barraged with articles and pictures of Abe for the LDP's benefit for the next year or 2

Well, we now know that Japan has at least 50 sensible people.

Pretty much

I have met and read about many Japanese people who were more deserving had done more for people then this man.

Many Japanese people? Try most.

He should not be made into something in death he wasn’t in life.

exactly

-5 ( +20 / -25 )

"It should be discussed in parliament."

The got a point.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Above and beyond the use of tax-payer funds, I don’t like the idea or raising the man to a semi-deity.

At best his legacy is “complicated.” I didn’t want him gunned down in the street but the modern iteration of Churchill he is not.

18 ( +26 / -8 )

Let's get the wording right here, Abe's "funeral" is already done and over. Using the word "funeral" puts a different spin on what it is in reality, a memorial service.

If Abe had died a natural death, no one would be talking about this. It's because he was assassinated.

21 ( +25 / -4 )

He comes from a very wealthy family. Let them cover the cost of his funeral..

27 ( +34 / -7 )

People forget fast. Stop the show.

12 ( +17 / -5 )

yes at least 50 some people did something about it.

if Abe needs to have different funeral than others ask LDP and that cult to make funeral by their money-they have enough of money to do it.

10 ( +16 / -6 )

at a time when COVID cases are on the rise and the financial situation isn't showing signs of improving anytime soon, holding a grand funeral should be the last thing the government should do. Why not just livestream it instead? It'll save up on money. I agree with the commenters above as well, why not just ask private entities who do want to hold the funeral to fund it instead.

12 ( +16 / -4 )

Doing lavish and expensive funeral is to comfort and honor the living, not the dead.

13 ( +17 / -4 )

Wow...judging by comments, Abe is as divisive in death as he was in life.

Australia gives "State Funerals " to sporting stars....and people like media mogal and acclaimed tax evader, Kerry Packer.

Abe was Japans PM....surely he deserves some formal recognition like a state funeral.

-24 ( +6 / -30 )

No official publication yet as to how much would be earmarked for the planned state funeral. The government should be accountable for it.

Or alternatively, would the Unification Church take care of it all? But the service should be taxable :)

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Abe was Japans PM....surely he deserves some formal recognition like a state funeral

Japan has so many "former" PM's that if they gave them all a state funeral or memorial service, at taxpayers expense, it would bankrupt them even further!

There are currently 11 former PM's alive today, including the current one Kishida. You going to give them ALL a state funeral?

8 ( +14 / -6 )

GoFundMe. There, job done

10 ( +13 / -3 )

Its not a funeral obviously !

How about an online memorial service instead ?

I fear a catastrophe or terrorist event might take place over this memorial service for Abe.

I sincerely hope not.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

Might as well give Kishida a memorial service early then

-2 ( +5 / -7 )

Oh my life, when pointing out yesterday to my elder family that they (tax payer) would be footing the bill for Abe san state Funeral, all believed the LDP were going to providing the costs.

Now most are having second thoughts

What are the positives of Abe term/s in office?

Not a single pledge on economic reforms ever amounted to anything.

Could you guess debts levels from 1980 until 2020?

141.61%, to 266.20%

What is Abe san true legacy?

7 ( +12 / -5 )

Uh oh, random 50 people asked for it, I guess they have to now lol

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

Signed the link.

Not sure how 75,000 citizens will change the mood of some dinosaurs hellbent on raising Abe to deity status. He didn’t deserve to be assassinated, but I didn’t agree with any of his policies, found his response to pandemic to be another way to fleece taxpayers and so on.

He comes from wealth and the party has plenty of money. Let them pay for it.

https://chng.it/m68YS6Mb82

7 ( +10 / -3 )

No leader is without strengths and faults. When he was murdered, there left a void that everyone felt. People lamented his murder. So let him get his funeral, there's enough money to go around and enough money squandered here that a few disgruntled comments aren't really going to make a difference..

As far as Abe's legacy is concerned..he was balanced in that he ran a progressive agenda despite not getting to see tremendous results from it. But in a place like Japan, introducing any change is to be HIGHLY commendable. That in itself is progress.

He at least got the ball rolling and the conversation going. It's a more progressive Japan than it once was.

For a more nuanced view at his legacy, this might be of use for some..

https://fsi.stanford.edu/news/three-hits-and-three-misses-what-prime-minister-abe%E2%80%99s-legacy

Because we all suffer from short-term memory.

Meanwhile, there appears to be no shortage of great candidates on Japan Today. Let's see what kind of leaders on this forum could be tasked with what Abe was tasked with. Let's see how you'd all fare.

And maybe we all have such excellent knowledge of Japanese politics that we would know how to maneuver that sort of landscape with any bit of success or popularity.

Oh. And the way people on here continue to push his Unification Church narrative... Was he seen at some events? Yeah. That was all. This concept is not new, you can find even the most angelic of politicians in other countries taking money from their choice lobbyists.

It's the way it's always been.

But let's keep harping on the negative without moving forward with the positive. Or, if you choose, we can learn from the negatives, and propose/do something worthwhile.

-7 ( +4 / -11 )

It would only be the second state funeral for a former prime minister in postwar Japan, and the opposition camp has expressed concerns that the funeral, to be fully funded by the government, could be used to cement the legacy of the divisive figure.

I have to commend the Japanese government for selecting September 27, as there is no Angels game on Sept. 26, so there will be no conflict with NHK showing Ohtani play.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

And the questions are - exactly how much taxpayer money will the memorial service require and how much unnecessary waste will be created by poor planning.

How many world leaders and how much incompetent security teams ?

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Make Morimoto Gakkuen pay for it.

If you mean Kake Gakuen the veterinary school then fine

Moritomo gakuen is not operational and defunct, the guy

was strong armed by the judicial system for trying to implicate

Abe and the wife and ended up serving time in jail and losing everything.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Oh Me. OH my. a few people teary eyed over no more sakura tea parties and Kakes,

so what’s a few more billion tax payers diving Yens gonna by you anyhow these days, amirite? You so randy to see black suits over pinstripes, move on with all the toe-tap- YOU pay for it. Agenda, yea, you hit the nail on the head. Agenda big enough the blind could see it in their sleep. Progress… if you wanna say, he spread the Loot in bigger and bigger amounts to fewer and fewer pals and buddies… You must be one of em to call that Progress.

Enough Loot to go around for you hey?

There’s No change like the Old change.

Disturbed_ModerateToday 11:18 am JST

> No leader is without strengths and faults. When he was murdered, there left a void that everyone felt. People lamented his murder. So let him get his funeral, there's enough money to go around and enough money squandered here that a few disgruntled comments aren't really going to make a difference..

> As far as Abe's legacy is concerned..he was balanced in that he ran a progressive agenda despite not getting to see tremendous results from it. But in a place like Japan, introducing any change is to be HIGHLY commendable. That in itself is progress.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

@Disturbed

first of all it's not a funeral its a memorial !

Second - not everyone is lamenting obviously not.

You assume to know what people think or don't think too much and ridiculously lecture us on what we should or shouldn't do.

The hypocrisy is monumentally staggering.

Would you like us to build a shrine around your comment also ?

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

"There are voices within society and the opposition parties that are against holding a state funeral," Masamichi Tanaka, head of the civic group's secretariat, said during a press conference in Tokyo. "It should be discussed in parliament."

Discussing it in the diet will be more waste of taxpayer's money, looks like Mr. Masamichi Tanaka

has not been following the stong arm tactics the LDP has been using to prevent deliberation and

pass controversial laws using their overwhelming majority. There are far more pressing issues

affecting us the who are still alive and battling poverty. and seeing our standard of living slide

below 3rd world standard.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

They should sell tickets for ¥10000 and give the money to the poor mourning widow.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

first of all it's not a funeral its a memorial !

Memorial/State Funeral here mean one and the same. As found in this news story.

And nah, I don't expect you to do anything. I didn't even expect you to reply to my post. Lucky me! ;)

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Didn’t like him but seems disrespectful. All former US presidents receive state funerals. As the longest serving Japanese PM, he at least deserves that. The Japanese government wastes much more tax payer money on more frivolous things than this.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

How about instead of a memorial service, big picture, flowers, spend the money on extra thick cardboard boxes for the homeless. At least he would have achieved something.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

@disturbed

Memorial /state funeral here mean one and the same

Thats not correct

Nowhere in the news article does the word memorial appear.

They don't have states here because they're called prefectures !

It's a article translation issue because funerals and memorials are definitely not the same thing here in Japan.

That should be obvious as the wake and funeral already happened.

Furthermore your ostentatious pantomathic comment is lecturing and addressing everyone - so you were instigating for a response.

So don't try to say you weren't

Because we all suffer from short-term memory

Have you met everyone ?

Only if you've met everyone and know their memory could you know that.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Make the Unification Church pay for it.

Why? They're not the ones that killed Abe.

Make the PEOPLE WHO HATE the Unification Church to pay for it, instead.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Fund the state funeral through a public donation foundation.

Let J people decide.

A simple method that people can donate to the costs, to show there respects voluntarily.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

A very divisive and corrupt politician, let his wealthy family pay for any kind of funeral they feel fit.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Ignoring the current bickering over associations ...

Abe was the PM of this Country for a fairly long time in comparison to his Predecessors. Regardless the circumstances, the Country itself, owes a little respect back to him, and his remaining Family for what they endured during his time in Office. A State Funeral, would seem a respectful ting to do, it doesn't have to be Lavish - as certainly during these current times, one wonders whether he himself would have wanted such, but a little bit of "recognition" wouldn't go amiss.

We may not like some Politicians over others, but, we have them in order to maintain our semblance of Choice - something that goes hand in hand with the Democracy that we have embraced, lest we not forget that, in favor of those who would like to make us feel that theirs is a better way.

Keep It Simple, Keep It Sweet - (A KISS Goodbye for Japan) may be an appropriate theme.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

They should sell tickets for ¥10000 and give the money to the poor mourning widow.

She is hardly "poor" and probably not mourning.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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