About 700 foreign dignitaries attended Shinzo Abe’s memorial, including US Vice President Harris, Australian Prime Minister Albanese, and Indian Prime Minister Modi.
Amid rising inflation, the Japanese public believed that the government should use taxpayers’ money to help the economy and future generations. Some protesters considered it «undemocratic» to decide on such a high-cost funeral without the consent of the people.
A funeral with high cost for the people of Japan
The funeral was reported to cost 1.66 billion yen ($12 million), making it more expensive than the British queen’s funeral ($9 million) at a time of great economic stress. Most of the budget was spent on security and accommodation for foreign delegations to support Japan’s «funeral diplomacy».
Several world leaders attended the funeral, but the diplomatic achievements were not clear. Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, the only G7 leader to visit Japan for the state funeral, canceled his visit due to a powerful hurricane.
