Govt. To Make 'thorough Preparations' For Abe's State Funeral
Japan's government has confirmed it will make thorough preparations for the state funeral for former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo that is scheduled for September.
About 30 senior officials of the relevant ministries and agencies attended the first meeting of the government's secretariat for the funeral on Thursday.
Special advisor to the prime minister, Mori Masafumi, who heads the secretariat, noted that the coming event will be the second state funeral for a former prime minister in Japan's postwar history following the one for Yoshida Shigeru, who died in 1967.
Mori said the secretariat will make thorough preparations using past cases as a reference and taking into consideration the intentions of the bereaved family.
He said he hopes the funeral will be a solemn and cordial ceremony.
The officials at the meeting shared information about past cases, including the funeral service for former Prime Minister Nakasone Yasuhiro that was jointly held by the Cabinet and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in 2020.
They confirmed that preparations will be made for thorough security arrangements and anti-coronavirus measures as many mourners, including foreign dignitaries, are expected to attend Abe's state funeral.
Abe was shot dead on July 8 while giving an election campaign speech in Nara City, western Japan.
The state funeral is due to be held on September 27 at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo.