Japan Pm To Attend Diet To Address Abe State Funeral
Prime Minister Kishida Fumio says he will attend a session in the Diet, to explain why Japan is holding a state funeral for former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo. It comes as opposition members are demanding his government disclose the security costs for the event.
Kishida held his first in-person news conference since recovering from COVID-19. Speaking to reporters, he promised to inform the public of the importance of next month's funeral.
Kishida said, "As the prime minister who decided to hold the state funeral ceremony, I have a responsibility to take the criticisms seriously and respond to them directly. We will do our best to provide detailed explanations, something my administration has promised to do since taking office."
Kishida says Abe was influential, not only in Japan but also around the world. He said the funeral will give international leaders a chance to express their condolences. Kishida also says the funeral will show that Japan does not tolerate such acts of violence.
The former leader was shot dead during an election rally in July. The man suspected of killing him told police he believed Abe had links to the former Unification Church. He claims the group bankrupted his family.
Since then, a number of LDP members have been revealed to have ties to the religious group. Kishida says he will address so-called "spiritual business practices" and restore public trust in his party.
He's called on LDP lawmakers to reveal whether they have links to what he called "socially problematic" groups, and to avoid such ties in the future.
Kishida also discussed his government's plans to ease pandemic measures on September 7. He is raising the number of people allowed to enter the country each day, from 20,000 to 50,000.
Kishida also says foreign tourists will no longer need guides in order to take part in sightseeing trips to Japan.