Japan To Honor Former Pm Abe Shinzo With State Funeral
Japan plans to honor former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo with a state funeral. He was killed in a shocking attack last Friday.
Prime Minister Kishida Fumio says the funeral is scheduled for this autumn.
Kishida said, "By holding a state funeral, we will mourn former Prime Minister Abe and show our unwavering commitment to upholding democracy and never giving in to violence."
Kishida noted Abe was in office for eight years and eight months, serving longer than any other prime minister in Japan's history.
He said Abe achieved results in diverse areas, such as rebuilding the region hit by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, revitalizing the Japanese economy and promoting relations with the United States and other countries.
Abe was shot and killed during a campaign event just two days before the Upper House election. Candidates and party leaders continued their campaigns amid tighter security.
Abe will be the second former prime minister to be given a state funeral since the end of World War Two, following Yoshida Shigeru, who died in 1967.