In Japan, the staggering cost of Shinzo Abe’s funeral is not to everyone’s taste

The ceremony is scheduled for September 27 in Tokyo. And it is already shaping up to be an international event. Fifty heads of state are expected (but not Emmanuel Macron), more than 6,400 people are announced in the various foreign delegations, from 190 countries. And the organization therefore promises to be very costly for Japan. The budget, unveiled on Tuesday September 6, is estimated at 12 million euros. This is six times more than the initial estimate. The ceremony itself will cost 2 million: it will take place at the Budokan, this hall famous for its major concerts (the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton in particular have performed there). And it was entrusted to a private company, Murayama, suspected in the past of having circumvented public tenders. Even more expensive: it will be necessary to ensure the safety of foreign guests: 6 million. The police forces will obviously be reinforced. And the reception costs are estimated at 4 million. Everything will therefore be done on public funds with a specific budget. The opposition denounces an explosion of costs. And the controversy is fueled by the economic situation: Japan, like everyone else, is seeing prices rise.

It’s not just the bill that sparks controversy. The very principle of this funeral is not unanimous. The assassination of Shinzo Abe, at the beginning of July, obviously aroused a lot of emotion in the country and around the world. But the organization of state funerals smacks of a return to the imperial regime before the Second World War. And it is therefore not to the taste of many Japanese: 400,000 of them have already signed an online petition to oppose the use of public money for this purpose. And in the middle of last week, a first demonstration even took place in the streets of Tokyo to cries of “No to the use of our taxes and state money, no to minutes of silence, no to the flags at half mast, we are against a national funeral”.

This dispute is explained: Shinzo Abe, very well known internationally, was on the other hand much more controversial in Japan. Admittedly, he remained in power for nearly 9 years. But he blew on the embers of nationalism, for example by visiting a famous shrine in Tokyo, Yasukuni. His mandates have been marked by several political and financial scandals. His management of the Covid has been criticized. His relations with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin as well. And his supposed links with the Moon sect have caused much ink to flow. These links also constitute the justification put forward by his murderer to explain his action. So all this ends up poisoning the new government in place. According to a poll published a few days ago, 56% of the 126 million Japanese are opposed to this state funeral. And the popularity rating of the current Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, is down sharply. Especially since several elected members of his party are also suspected of links with the Moon sect. This funeral of September 27 will therefore not only be a moment of meditation.