Shinzo Abe’s state funeral to cost more than Queen Elizabeth’s, triggering criticism in Japan

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TBS Report

September 24, 2022, 06:05 pm

Last modified: September 24, 2022, 06:10 pm

A picture of late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot while campaigning for a parliamentary election, is seen at Headquarters of the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo, Japan July 12, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo

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A picture of late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot while campaigning for a parliamentary election, is seen at Headquarters of the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo, Japan July 12, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo

Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s funeral is set to take place next week amid heavy criticism from people in the country who are questioning the high cost of the event. Shinzo Abe was assassinated in July this year.

Even though the actual amount of money spent on the Queen’s state funeral has not been disclosed, the Flash article cited the Daily Mirror’s reported figure of 8m or 1.3bn yen to compare it to the estimated cost of ex-prime minister Shinzo Abe’s funeral of 1.66 bn yen, BBC reports.

The controversy over Abe’s publicly funded funeral has triggered demonstrations in Japan, where many have opposed the event. A comparison between Abe’s funeral and that of Queen Elizabeth’s shows that the latter’s estimated funeral cost was lower at about 1.3 billion yen.

People have also expressed concern as Japan spent $13 billion on the Tokyo Olympics, which was almost double the estimated budget for the event.

The contract to organize Abe’s funeral was given to Tokyo-based event organizer Murayama.

The Japanese government had put the estimated cost of the state funeral at 250 million yen. According to the chief cabinet secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno, some 800 million yen is estimated to be spent on the policing of the event, while hosting the dignitaries is expected to cost 600 million yen, reports The Guardian.

He had further said that the bill for the state funeral could reach up to 1.7 billion yen, the report added.

Earlier this week, a man had set himself on fire near the office of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida while opposing the plans to hold a state funeral for Shinzo Abe.

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