in protest
Man lights himself at state ceremony for former Japanese prime minister
Police and firefighters at the scene: A man set himself on fire at a funeral for Shinzo Abe, who was shot dead during a campaign speech.
© Uncredited/Kyodo News/dpa
On July 8, former Prime Minister Abe was shot dead during a campaign speech. Now there was another incident during the mourning act, which is controversial in Japan. That’s the background.
A man set himself on fire in Tokyo to protest the controversial state funeral ceremony for assassinated Japanese former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The Japanese television channel TV Asahi reports that the man suffered burns and lost consciousness. A police officer who tried to extinguish the flames was also injured. Shortly before the crime, the man told the official that he opposed the former prime minister’s state act, television reported. The incident happened near the home of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is attending the UN General Assembly in New York.
The rare funeral ceremony in Abe’s honor next Tuesday, attended by state guests from around the world, has sparked heated controversy in Japan. Although Abe is recognized worldwide as a creditable statesman, the right-wing conservative has been criticized domestically for his nationalist agenda, involvement in scandals and proximity to the controversial Mun sect.
The former prime minister was shot dead at close range with a homemade gun on July 8 while giving a campaign speech in the city of Nara. The killer claimed to have killed Abe out of hatred for the Mun sect. Horrible donations from his mother to the cult are said to have ruined and destroyed the family financially.
TV Asahi with video