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Shinzo Abe’s funeral unpopular in Japan but may deepen regional ties: analysts
- The former PM wasn’t well-liked at home and the US$11.5 million send-off has sparked public anger, but many foreign leaders attended his state funeral
- The legacy of the staunch US ally includes his vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific, which aims to ‘put a check on China’s ambitions’ in the region
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In life Shinzo Abe was a polarising figure – popular abroad but not at home – and this dynamic was on display on Tuesday, as world leaders from India to France and the US gathered to mourn him at a grand state funeral opposed by most Japanese.
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But amid the domestic anger over the event’s US$11.5 million price tag and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s links with the controversial Unification Church, analysts say the legacy of the former Japanese prime minister could still help Tokyo to develop and strengthen regional ties.
With 4,300 guests including representatives from more than 100 countries, many diplomatic meetings would be taking place on the sidelines, said Nancy Snow, distinguished visiting professor of strategic communications at Tsinghua University’s Schwarzman College in Beijing.
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“(Today) is an important event to mourn Abe’s passing and acknowledge his ability in raising Japan’s global profile,” she said.
The ceremony started at 2pm, with Abe’s ashes carried into the Nippon Budokan hall in central Tokyo by his widow Akie, to music from a military band and the booms of the honour-guard salute, which echoed inside the building.
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