Much of the opposition is over the ruling party's cozy ties to the ultra-conservative Unification Church
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is battling a near-continuous political fallout from his handling of both the links to the church among his party’s lawmakers and the state funeral he says Abe deserves.___The tradition has roots in a ceremony performed by the emperor to honor those who made exceptional contributions to the country.
Because of criticism that the Yoshida funeral was held without any legal basis, subsequent governments scaled down such events. Koichi Nakano, international politics professor at Sophia University, says the funeral is an attempt to whitewash Abe’s legacy and to cover up scandals linked to the Unification Church. The church is accused of inappropriate recruitment and business tactics but denies the charges.Opponents say it’s undemocratic, citing a lack of a clear legal basis and the unilateral decision by the Kishida Cabinet to hold the funeral.
Abe’s assassin reportedly was enraged about ties between Abe, his party and the church, which he said his mother had given all the family’s money to. But his support ratings have since plunged over his handling of the state funeral and his governing party’s links to the South Korean church.
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