Shinzo Abe: Why the former Japanese prime minister’s state funeral is so controversial – BBC News

But on the other hand, the state funeral also attracted allies of Japan around the world: US President Biden will not be present, but Vice President Kamala Harris will. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and their three predecessors will also be present. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not attend the queen’s funeral but will fly to Tokyo to pay tribute to Shinzo Abe.

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Second post-war prime minister to receive state funeral

World leaders have gathered to attend state funerals, but Japan is full of opposition – what is the reason?

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First, a state funeral itself is not a normal occurrence. In Japan, state funerals are reserved for members of the royal family and only one politician (former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida) was honored after World War II in 1967.

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Abe received a state funeral in part because of the way he died, and Japan mourned him when he was shot at during an election event in early July. Public opinion shows that he was never very popular at home, but few would deny that he brought stability and security to Japan.

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The state funeral for him also reflects his status, as he is Japan’s longest-serving prime minister and arguably no other post-war leader has had such a huge impact on Japan’s position in the world.

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Abe “ahead of the times”

image source,Reuters

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Kazuto Suzuki, a former Abe adviser and political science professor, described Abe as “ahead of his time”. “He knows that the balance of power is constantly changing and, of course, the rise of China will upset the balance and reshape the regional order. So he wants to lead.”

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Professor Suzuki pointed out that former US President Barack Obama established the Trans-Pacific Free Trade Agreement (TPP) with the aim of bringing US allies in the Asia-Pacific region together in a huge free area. exchange. no.

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Abe took the lead, leading to the more complexly named Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). It’s a terrible name, but it signals Japan’s willingness to play a leading role in the Asia-Pacific region. Abe also played a key role in the creation of the Quad, which includes the United States, Japan, India and Australia.

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led the militarization of Japan

Furthermore, Shinzo Abe drastically changed the Japanese army. In 2014, it forcibly passed a bill to “reinterpret” Japan’s postwar pacifist constitution, allowing Japan to exercise “the right to collective self-defense,” meaning this is the first time Japan has been capable of carrying out military operations overseas with its US allies after the war.

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The legislation has been extremely controversial and its ripples are still being felt today. Machiko Takumi, the tens of thousands who marched against the state funeral in Tokyo, accused Abe of taking Japan to war, saying, “This means that Japan will fight the Americans, that is, to allow Japan to enter again. in a state of war, which is my responsibility. Reasons to oppose a state funeral. “

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image source,EPA

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Japan is a war-torn country, but it’s not just the memory of the atomic bomb that pisses people off at Abe. Japan’s postwar pacifist constitution expressly provides that the country “renounces the right to war”. If Abe wants to change this, he should launch a referendum to resolve it, but he knows he will lose, so he chooses to “reinterpret” the constitution.

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“Abe is seen as someone who is not responsible to the people,” said Koichi Nakano, a professor of political science at Sophia University. “Whatever he does, violates the principles of the constitution, violates the principles of democracy.”

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Which country doesn’t cry?

But for Abe’s supporters, all of this eludes the crux of the matter. Before any other world leader, Shinzo Abe saw the Chinese threat and decided that Japan should become a key member of the US-Japan alliance.

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Suzuki, a former adviser to Abe, pointed out that Shinzo Abe is very far-sighted. “He sees China on the rise and America withdrawing from the region. For America to stay involved in the region, he realizes that we must be able to defend ourselves.”

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A rearmed and militarily capable Japan, in addition to being welcomed by Washington, is also supported by other Asia-Pacific countries, equally concerned about the Chinese threat. After Abe found partners in Canberra and New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared a national day of mourning after his assassination.

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But there is one place where Abe is not grieved, but constantly condemned as a warmonger and revisionist, and that is China. This may explain why Beijing sent Vice President Wang Qishan to London for the Queen’s state funeral, but sent a former minister of science and technology to Tokyo, whom foreigners had never heard of.

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