State funeral for Shinzo Abe met with anger from public

A state funeral for the country’s longest-serving prime minister, Shinzo Abe, was held in Tokyo amid public anger over the cost of the ceremony and revelations over his party’s ties to a controversial religious group.

More than 4,000 guests, including the US vice-president, Kamala Harris, attended the ceremony at the Nippon Budokan hall, where a 19-gun salute sounded in honour of the assassinated former leader.

Abe’s widow, Akie, carried her late husband’s ashes into the hall, followed by crown prince Akishino and other members of the imperial family.

Abe was shot in July by a man who reportedly said he targeted the politician over his support for the Unification church.