Japan's Government Reflects On Its Handling of Abe's State Funeral

The Japanese government is hearing from experts about its handling of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo's state funeral in September.

The government's decision to hold the state funeral for Abe received mixed reactions from the public, with some saying the legal grounds for staging such a state-backed event are ambiguous. Calls grew from both ruling and opposition parties to develop criteria and other rules.

The government is seeking opinions from scholars on the constitution and administrative laws and other experts.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu on Monday said the government will sort out and clarify contentious points as soon as possible, based on input from a range of experts.

The government is asking a total of about 20 to 30 experts separately about their thoughts on if the Diet should be involved in staging a state funeral. They are also asking about the need to develop legislation.

The government plans to release a report by the end of the year.

Source: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221108_03/