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Japan holding state funeral for ex-PM Shinzo Abe

Over 4,000 people have gathered to bid their final farewell to Abe, who was assassinated in early July

© EPA-EFE/Eugene Hoshiko / POOL

TOKYO, September 27. /TASS/. A state funeral for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is taking place at the Nippon Budokan arena in downtown Tokyo, a TASS correspondent reports.

A state funeral is being held in Japan for the first time since 1967 when such a ceremony took place for former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida.

Over 4,000 people have gathered to bid their final farewell to Abe, who was assassinated in early July. The guests include US Vice President Kamala Harris, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, European Council President Charles Michel, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. Russia is represented by Special Presidential Envoy for International Cultural Cooperation Mikhail Shvydkoy.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was gunned down in an assassination attack on July 8. A private funeral ceremony attended by his family members and friends took place at Tokyo’s Zojo-ji Buddhist temple on July 12. The Japanese government decided to hold a state funeral for Abe on September 27 in recognition of his services to the country.

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