Shinzo Abe, state funeral and street protests

The former Japanese premier killed on 8 July, thousands at the funeral ceremony. But on the street the cost of the funeral is disputed: the estimate is 1.67 million yen, equal to about 11.4 million dollars The state funeral has begun for Shinzo Abe, the former Japanese premier killed on 8 July last . Thousands attended the funeral ceremony, with more than 700 being foreign guests who arrived for the event, including around 50 current or former state leaders. The presence of the security forces is massive, with over a thousand soldiers who will perform ceremonial tasks. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida received the ashes contained in a ceremonial box and handed them to the military officers who placed them in the center of the hall. Outside, however, there is no shortage of protests, because about 60 percent of the population says they are against the state funeral. Dozens of protesters gathered in the areas surrounding the Budokan arena to express their dissatisfaction with the event. In particular, they contest the cost of the funeral, which is estimated to reach 1.67 million yen, equal to about 11.4 million dollars that according to the protesters could be directed towards more urgent economic issues. United States Vice President Kamala Harris, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Vice President of the Philippines Sara Duterte-Carpio, Vice President of Indonesia President Ma’ruf Amin and President of the European Council Charles Michel.