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Vice President Kamala Harris attended the state funeral of the assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday.
Harris represented the United States at the ceremony, which was attended by approximately 4,300 people. Abe’s funeral was attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Harris sat next to former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel, the US Ambassador to Japan.
At a press conference after the funeral, Harris said her visit to Japan took place “under very sad circumstances.” “A lot has been said in honor of his leadership role,” she told reporters.
Japan’s Shinzo Abe shot dead: World leaders pay tribute to former prime minister
Harris praised Abe for “opening up” the Indo-Pacific region, adding that he recently attended a dinner with current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to celebrate Abe’s legacy.
“As a member of the Indo-Pacific region, as America, we value these principles and stand by them,” she said.
Abe, one of Japan’s most polarized leaders, was shot dead in July while campaigning in Nara, western Japan. This was the first assassination of a former Japanese prime minister since 1936.
His sudden death caused mixed reactions across the country. Hundreds of people laid flowers in Kudanzaka Park in Abe’s honor on Tuesday as former President Trump praised Abe as “a man who loved and cared for his magnificent country” after his death. .
Trump mourns Shinzo Abe, ‘cherished his magnificent country’, ‘unique unifier’
Protests were also planned for the day of his funeral, despite Abe’s popularity as the longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history.
The holding of the funeral itself is a controversial topic in Japan. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida argued that Abe deserved a grand funeral and said no one was compelled to honor him.
However, Kishida has been criticized for hosting an expensive event, expected to cost $11.5 million. He said the Unification Church was “brainwashing” citizens to collect donations.
Abe’s murder suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, is said to have told police that his motive for killing Abe was due to his ties to the Unification Church. He was upset that his mother donated a large amount of his family’s money to the church.
Abe’s ashes were brought to Nippon Budokan by his wife, Akie Abe. Cannons were fired several times due to the procession and could be heard inside the arena where people were sitting.
Prime Minister Fumio praised Prime Minister Abe in Japanese. Other Japanese politicians continued to deliver their own speeches, facing Abe’s ashes.
Towards the end of the funeral, foreign dignitaries, including Vice President Harris and other members of the US delegation, walked in front of the stage to lay flowers.
Vice President Harris is scheduled to visit the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that separates South Korea on Thursday.
Her visit comes days after North Korea launched a ballistic missile into the sea, amid fears of a possible nuclear test after failed attempts by the Biden administration to reach out to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. was done in
Harris’ visit will be the first by a senior Biden administration official.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.