Man sets himself on fire outside Japanese PM’s office in protest over state funeral for assassinated Shinzo Abe

• The man was taken to hospital and was conscious after he set himself on fire 
• He expressed opposition to a state funeral for assassinated ex-premier Abe 
• The man is believed to be in his 70s and told police he had doused himself in oil
• The ceremony for Abe is expected to cost at least 1.7 billion yen (£10.5 million) 

A man in his 70s set himself on fire in Tokyo early Wednesday after expressing opposition to a state funeral for assassinated ex-premier Shinzo Abe. 

The government said an individual with burns had been found near the Japanese prime minister’s office.

‘We are aware that a man with burns was found by a police officer at 7:00 am (2200 GMT) this morning at an intersection below the cabinet office,’ top government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said.

A man in his 70s set himself on fire in Tokyo early Wednesday after expressing opposition to a state funeral for assassinated ex-premier Shinzo Abe 

The government said an individual with burns had been found near the Japanese prime minister’s office

Local media said the man was taken to hospital and was conscious. TV Asahi said he told police he was opposed to the planned ceremony for Abe

‘But details are currently being examined by police,’ he added, declining to answer further questions on the incident.

A Tokyo Fire Department official confirmed a man set himself afire on the street in Tokyo’s Kasumigaseki government district and that he was alive when he was taken to a hospital by ambulance, but declined to give further details, including the man’s identity, motive or condition, citing the sensitivity of what was a police matter. 

Local media said the man was taken to hospital and was conscious.

TV Asahi said he told police he was opposed to the planned ceremony for Abe.

According to the television station, a police officer who tried to extinguish the fire was injured in the process.

Jiji news agency said handwritten notes found near the man said he was ‘staunchly opposed’ to the state funeral.

The man is believed to be in his 70s and told police he had doused himself in oil.’

By mid-morning, the only sign of the incident was a scorched patch of grass and bush, with police and media nearby.

Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, was shot dead on July 8 while campaigning, and a publicly funded state funeral honouring him will be held on September 27.

A family funeral for Abe was held at a Buddhist temple in July. The state funeral is scheduled for next Tuesday at the Budokan martial arts arena in Tokyo. 

According to the television station, a police officer who tried to extinguish the fire was injured in the process.

By mid-morning, the only sign of the incident was a scorched patch of grass and bush, with police and media nearby

Jiji news agency said handwritten notes found near the man said he was ‘staunchly opposed’ to the state funeral

State funerals are rare in Japan, and the decision has been controversial. 

Recent polls show more than half of the public is opposed to the idea.

The suspected immolation underscores a growing wave of protests against the funeral for Abe, who was one of the most divisive leaders in postwar Japanese politics because of his revisionist view of wartime history, security policies and his high-handed approach and cronyism, which were often criticized as autocratic.

More protests are expected in coming days, including the day of the funeral next week.

Abe was Japan’s best-known politician and remained a prominent public figure after resigning for health reasons in 2020.

He was campaigning for ruling-party candidates in upper-house elections in the Nara region when he was shot by a man who allegedly believed the former leader had ties to the Unification Church.

The incident also is an embarrassment for Japanese police, who have stepped up security for an event expected to be attended by about 6,000 people, including U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and other dignitaries. 

One of people holds a banner said in Japanese ‘No to State Funeral, Don’t mess around ‘ to protest outside Diet against the state paying for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s funeral, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022, in Tokyo. More protests are expected in coming days, including the day of the funeral next week

People protesting against the state funeral for former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe in front of parliament buildings in Tokyo, Japan, 31 August 2022

Abe’s state funeral will be held at Tokyo’s Budokan, a large venue for concerts and sporting events. World leaders, including US Vice President Kamala Harris and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, are among those expected to attend

The assassination prompted shock and international condemnation, but sitting Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s authorisation of a state funeral has proved contentious.

Abe was far from universally popular, and many opposed his hawkish nationalist views or were angered by persistent allegations of cronyism.

The ceremony for Abe is expected to cost at least 1.7 billion yen (£10.5 million)

Kishida, who is currently in New York to address the UN General Assembly, has defended the plan, insisting Abe’s record-breaking tenure and international standing mean he merits the ceremony.

The prime minister’s approval ratings have taken a hit over the decision, as well as a controversy over ties between politicians and the Unification Church.

The church, whose members are sometimes colloquially called the ‘Moonies’ after Korean founder Sun Myung Moon, has been accused of pressuring believers to make sometimes ruinous donations – accusations it denies.

Tetsuya Yamagami, the man accused of shooting Abe, reportedly resented the church over his mother’s membership and hefty donations that left his family bankrupt.

While Abe was not a member of the church, he addressed affiliated groups, and his death caused renewed scrutiny of the sect and its political connections.

An investigation by Kishida’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party found that around half its lawmakers had ties to the sect.

He has pledged that the party will cut all links to the church, which has denied any wrongdoing.

Abe’s state funeral will be held at Tokyo’s Budokan, a large venue for concerts and sporting events.

World leaders, including US Vice President Kamala Harris and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, are among those expected to attend.

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