The official funeral for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will take place on Tuesday. Tens of thousands of people, including people from more than 217 countries, territories, and international organisations, are expected to attend. After Shinzo Abe was killed on July 8, new police security rules were put in place. The service will be the first big public event since then.
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, US Vice President Kamala Harris, and Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc are all going to the funeral.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also be there for the state funeral.
Along with former and current members of parliament and representatives from local governments, the service will include many former and current heads of Japan’s legislative, judicial, and administrative branches of government, as well as many representatives from each branch.
Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako, Emperor Emeritus Akihito, and Empress Emerita Michiko will not be at the funeral. They will be replaced by representatives from the government of their empire.
During the service, Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko will lay flowers as a sign of sympathy, and then others will do the same.