Since Abe Shinzo’s killing, one poll after another has brought bad news for prime minister Kishida Fumio. It is a worrying trend for the head of a party that has a tendency to jettison leaders who appear weak in the public eye
, Japan’s prime minister, prides himself on being a good listener. He cannot like what he is hearing these days. A few days after the
attempts to lionise Mr Abe, who, for all his international acclaim, remained a divisive figure at home. Once the initial shock of a deadly shooting in mostly peaceful Japan wore off, attention turned to the killer, Founded in South Korea, the church made common cause with Japanese anti-communists, including Mr Abe’s grandfather, in the 1960s. It then spread widely in Japan. It is best known for matching its followers with each other and holding mass weddings. It has faced criticism for its practice of extracting exorbitant fees for spiritual goods: Mr Yamagami’s mother reportedly donated ¥100m to the group. Such stories have struck a chord in Japan.
Mr Kishida said he intended the funeral to be a sign of Japan’s intent to “defend democracy”. But to many it looks more like an attempt to make criticism of Mr Abe’s legacy taboo. “They’re trying to create an atmosphere where it’s hard to express dissent—they make you feel bad for speaking ill of the dead,” says Miyaguchi Takae, who was among several thousand people protesting against the plan in front of Japan’s parliament on August 31st. The cost—some ¥1.
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