- Sotheby's to pay $6.25 mln in tax fraud case
- McIlroy shares Dubai lead with Ballesteros mark in sight
- Lebanon army redeployment in south crucial to war solution: UN peacekeeping chief
- US stocks wobble as traders weigh future Fed cuts
- Trump fills out cabinet as divisive picks shock Washington
- Son hits 50th South Korea goal in win, Australia-Saudi stalemate
- BHP, Vale cleared by Brazil court over 2015 dam disaster
- Satirical US outlet The Onion buys conspiracy site Infowars
- Scotland must emulate Croatia's 'conveyor belt of talent': Clarke
- Legal migration to OECD reaches new record in 2023
- Robinson edges Benazzi to succeed Beaumont as head of World Rugby
- India's capital shuts all primary schools due to smog
- Central bank independence 'fundamental' for good policy: Fed official
- Fritz beats De Minaur to eye ATP Finals last four, Sinner through
- Doris expecting a 'proper test' against Argentina
- Russia's exiled opposition hopes for rebirth with Berlin rally
- EU fines Meta $840 million for 'abusive' Facebook ad practices
- Springboks boss Erasmus expects England to 'play for Borthwick'
- Before Leicester, Ranieri's brush with glory with his beloved Roma
- Stock markets rise as traders weigh future Fed cuts
- Australian Robinson edges Benazzi to head World Rugby
- US director Haynes to lead Berlinale 2025 jury
- Iran tells UN nuclear chief willing to resolve 'ambiguities'
- Coach owner Tapestry calls off Capri bid on regulatory blocks
- UK government announces ban on new coal mines
- US ski star Lindsey Vonn, 40, to attempt competitive return
- Ranieri comes out of retirement to lead hometown club Roma
- England recall Steward and Van Poortvliet for South Africa Test
- EU fines Meta 798 mn euros for Facebook ad antitrust breach
- Australian Brett Robinson graduates to rugby's top post
- Brazil looking for motive after attempted Supreme Court bombing
- Hotels on Booking.com can offer better rates elsewhere: EU
- EU deforestation ban in chaos as parliament loosens rules
- Springboks make 12 changes to team for England clash
- All Blacks fly-half Barrett returns from concussion against France
- UEFA launches investigation into Premier League referee Coote
- Monaco Formula One GP extended until 2031
- Climate finance: who is being asked to pay what at COP29?
- 'Terrible' AI has given tech an existential headache: activist
- COP29 host tries to calm waters after diplomatic turmoil
- Late drama as Saudis hold Australia in World Cup qualifier
- Stock markets diverge as traders weigh future Fed cuts
- Israel warfare methods 'consistent with genocide': UN committee
- 'In-form leader' Fickou starts for France against New Zealand
- Iran activist kills himself after demanding release of prisoners
- Russia shuts Moscow's famed gulag museum
- London mayor says Trump attacks due to his ethnicity and religion
- Japan expect tough Indonesia test with World Cup spot in reach
- Uganda TikToker convicted for insulting president
- Thousands flee as Typhoon Usagi hits north Philippines
RBGPF | -1.59% | 59.25 | $ | |
RYCEF | -3.95% | 6.84 | $ | |
CMSC | 0.4% | 24.71 | $ | |
NGG | 0.62% | 62.51 | $ | |
SCS | -1.1% | 13.225 | $ | |
GSK | -0.23% | 35.03 | $ | |
BCC | -1.56% | 140.355 | $ | |
RELX | 0.1% | 46.165 | $ | |
CMSD | 0.14% | 24.765 | $ | |
JRI | 0% | 13.24 | $ | |
RIO | -0.43% | 60.36 | $ | |
BCE | -0.46% | 27.085 | $ | |
VOD | -0.29% | 8.725 | $ | |
AZN | 0.41% | 65.56 | $ | |
BP | 1.12% | 28.895 | $ | |
BTI | 0.67% | 35.66 | $ |
Japan mourns as funeral for former PM Abe held in Tokyo
Family and friends of assassinated former prime minister Shinzo Abe gathered at a Tokyo temple Tuesday for a private funeral, as mourners outside condemned the leader's "despicable" murder.
Abe was shot at close range on Friday while giving a campaign speech in the city of Nara, days ahead of upper house elections that saw his ruling party strengthen its hold on power.
The murder suspect, 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, is in custody and has told police he targeted Abe because he believed the politician was linked to an organisation he resented.
Although the funeral rites were for family members and close associates only, long lines of people, some dressed in black, came to the Zojoji temple to pay respects to Japan's longest-serving prime minister.
"I can't get over my sadness, so I came here to lay flowers and say a prayer," consultant Tsukasa Yokawa, 41, told AFP, describing Abe as "a great prime minister who did a lot to elevate Japan's presence" on the global stage.
"It's despicable," said Yuko Takehisa, a 51-year-old assistant nurse who lives in Kanagawa, near Tokyo.
"More could have been done to prevent it," she said, complaining that "no one reported" Yamagami to police despite reports he had test-fired a handmade gun before the attack.
Satoshi Ninoyu, the chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, a cabinet position overseeing national police, pledged Tuesday to hold a full review of any security failings.
Local police have already admitted flaws in their guarding programme for the high-profile politician, who was approached from behind and shot in broad daylight.
Police searches of the suspect's home have found pellets and other possible components for building a gun like the crude weapon used in the attack, Japanese media reported Tuesday, citing unnamed investigative sources.
- Condolences pour in -
Yamagami spent three years in Japan's navy and reportedly told investigators that his mother's large donations to a religious organisation had caused the family financial troubles.
The Unification Church, a global religious movement founded in Korea in the 1950s, said on Monday that Yamagami's mother was a member, but did not comment on any donations she may have made.
Abe's murder sparked shock and outrage in Japan and worldwide, and an outpouring of condolence messages.
Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Tuesday that over 1,700 condolence messages had been received from 259 countries, territories and international bodies.
On Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a previously unscheduled stop in Tokyo to pay tribute to Abe, describing him as a "man of vision."
And Taiwanese Vice President William Lai was also in Tokyo for a surprise trip, Taiwanese media said.
The visit has the potential to anger Beijing, though Hayashi said Lai was travelling in a private capacity and there was no change to Japan's policy on working non-governmental relations with Taiwan.
After Tuesday's funeral, Abe's body will be driven past some of Tokyo's political landmarks, including the prime minister's residence -- known as the Kantei -- and the country's parliament, the Diet.
Public memorials are expected to be held at a later date, with suggestions that top foreign political leaders could attend, but no details have yet been announced.
Abe was the scion of a political family and became the country's youngest post-war prime minister when he took power for the first time in 2006, aged 52.
He resigned in 2020 at the end of his second stint after suffering health problems.
His hawkish, nationalist views were divisive, particularly his desire to reform the pacifist constitution, and he weathered a series of scandals, including allegations of cronyism.
But he was lauded by others for his economic strategy, dubbed "Abenomics", and his efforts to put Japan firmly on the world stage, including by cultivating close ties with former US president Donald Trump.
J.Fankhauser--BTB