TOKYO – A man set himself on fire near the Japanese prime minister’s office in Tokyo on Wednesday in an apparent protest against a state funeral scheduled for next week for former leader Shinzo Abeofficials and media reports said.
The man, believed to be in his 70s, suffered multiple burns on most of his body but remained conscious and told police he had set himself on fire after pouring oil on him, Kyodo news agency reported.
Kyodo reported: “Personally, I completely oppose” Abe’s funeral.
A Tokyo Fire Department official confirmed that a man set himself on fire on a street in Tokyo’s Kasumigaseki district and that he was alive when taken to the hospital by ambulance, but declined to provide further details, including the identity, motives or status of the man. , citing the sensitivity of what is a police matter.
Police called it a suicide and declined to provide further details because the case was unrelated to the intent of the crime. Police also declined to comment on reports that a police officer was trapped in the fire.
The incident highlights a growing wave of protests against the funeral of Abe, who was once one of the most divisive leaders in postwar Japanese politics for his views on wartime revisionism. advocates a stronger military and what critics call an autocratic and cronyist approach. More protests are expected in the coming days, including a funeral day next week.
It is also an embarrassment for police, who have stepped up security for an event expected to be attended by about 6,000 people, including US Vice President Kamala Harris and other dignitaries.
Police were also partly blamed for not adequately protecting Abe, who was shot dead by a gunman who approached him from behind while he was giving an outdoor campaign speech in July.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is in New York for the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly of world leaders. He delivered a speech on Tuesday expressing disappointment at the Security Council’s failure to respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine due to Russia’s permanent veto and calling for reforms that would allow the United Nations to better protect than peace and global order.
Scheduled state funerals for Abe have become increasingly unpopular among Japanese as more details emerge about The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Abe’s links to the Unification Churchhave built close relationships with party legislators for their mutual interests in conservative causes.
The suspect in Abe’s assassination is said to have believed that his mother’s large donations to the church had ruined his family. The LDP says nearly half of its lawmakers have ties to the church, but party officials have denied a relationship between the party as an organization and the church.
Kishida has said that Abe deserves a state funeral as Japan’s longest-serving leader after World War II and for his diplomatic and economic achievements.
Critics say it is decidedly undemocratic and an inappropriate and costly use of taxpayer money. They say that Kishida decided to hold a state funeral to please Abe’s party and consolidate his own power. Kishida’s support ratings for the government have waned amid public displeasure over his handling of the party’s church ties and funeral plans.
A family funeral for Abe was held at a Buddhist temple in July. A state funeral is scheduled for next Tuesday at the Budokan martial arts arena in Tokyo.
