Leaders from around the world are in Tokyo as Japan farewells its longest-serving prime minister
Over 2,000 people have attended the funeral for Shinzo Abe in Tokyo.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delivered the eulogy, in which he praised Abe for his dedication to public service.
“Abe-san, your life should’ve been much, much longer. You were needed for much, much longer. You’ve worked tirelessly and exhausted all your energy for both Japan and the world,” he said.
Abe’s wife, Akie was seen crying as she farewelled her late husband for the final time.
Japan’s longest-serving leader, Abe, was gunned down at a public campaign rally in July.
Why is the funeral controversial?
Shinzo Abe had a history in Japanese politics.
He rose through the ranks of the Liberal Democratic Party and became its leader in 2006.
He was elected Prime Minister in September of the same year, but he resigned just one year later after suffering a crushing defeat in upper house elections.
Abe made a return to politics in 2012 after a landslide victory, where he announced a wide-ranging agenda came to be known as ‘Abenomics’.
He was also known as the father of the Quad Alliance—a security partnership between Japan, India, Australia and the U.S.
Outside his funeral, Japanese protesters were speaking out against the use of taxpayer funds.
The service is estimated to cost over 1.65 billion yen and comes as Japan’s currency slides to a 24-year-low against the U.S. dollar.
Around 20,000 police officers were deployed to the funeral as part of a detailed security arrangement.
