TOKYO-(MaraviPost) — A man has set himself on fire near the Japanese prime minister’s office in Tokyo in protest against the state funeral planned for the former leader Shinzo Abe who was assassinated in July this year.
The Tokyo Fire Department confirmed the news of the incident adding that the man in his 70s set himself ablaze on the street in Tokyo’s Kasumigaseki government district.
The Guardian reported that the man was initially unconscious and sustained burns over his entire body after pouring oil over his body and he was found with a note written ‘Personally, I am absolutely against Abe’s funeral’.
Japan is expected to host a publicly-funded state funeral in Tokyo on September 27 for the late prime minister which will accommodate about 6,000 people from Japan and overseas including U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and other dignitaries.
The government allocated about 1.8 million dollars of taxpayers’ money for the state funeral scheduled to be held on September 27th.
However, the amount excludes expenditures for security and welcoming foreign dignitaries, which is estimated to be more than ten times the funeral costs.
Despite the tightened security for the planned state funeral for slain former leader, opposition among the public and political parties continues to grow.
In August, about thousands protested around the Diet building in Tokyo demanding the government scrap its plan to hold a state funeral for Abe.
The critics of the planned ceremony have questioned the legal basis for the ceremony, the cost and whether or not it will force the public to mourn a former prime minister whose controversial legacy attracts divided opinion.
Abe served two stints as prime minister from 2006 to 2007 and from 2012 to 2020 before he stepped down due to poor health. He remained one of Japan’s most influential politicians even after his resignation.
