According to authorities and media reports, a man set himself on fire early on Wednesday in Tokyo near the office of the Japanese prime minister in what seemed to be a protest against the state burial for former leader Shinzo Abe that is scheduled for the next week.
The guy, who is said to be in his 70s, had extensive body burns but was alert and informed authorities that he had set himself on fire by dousing himself in oil, according to the Kyodo News agency.
According to a message that was reportedly left by the individual and discovered with him, “Personally, I am utterly against” Abe’s burial.
When taken to a hospital by ambulance, the man who set himself on fire on the street in Tokyo’s Kasumigaseki government district was still alive, according to a Tokyo Fire Department official. However, the official declined to provide any additional information, including the man’s identity, motivation, or condition, citing the sensitivity of what was a police matter.
When asked about a claim that a police officer was trapped in the fire, Tokyo police declined to comment.
The alleged suicide highlights a rising wave of opposition to Abe’s burial. Abe was one of the most polarising politicians in post-World War II Japan because of his rewriting of history, his security measures, and his haughty behaviour and cronyism, which were often characterised as dictatorial. In the next days, including the day of the burial the following week, further demonstrations are anticipated.
The episode is embarrassing for the Japanese police, who had increased security for an event with a projected attendance of 6,000 people, including luminaries like U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.
When Abe was shot to death in July while making an outdoor address for his campaign, a shooter approached him from behind and the Japanese police were partially to fault for their lack of security.
Fumio Kishida, the prime minister, is in New York for the yearly gathering of global leaders for the U.N. General Assembly. He called for changes that would enable the U.N. to effectively preserve world peace and order in a speech on Tuesday, expressing concern that the Security Council was unable to act in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine due to Russia’s perpetual veto.
As more information about the ruling party’s and Abe’s connections to the Unification Church emerges, which developed close ties with lawmakers from the Liberal Democratic Party due to their shared interests in conservative causes, the planned state funeral for Abe has lost favour with the Japanese public.
According to reports, the assassination suspect for Abe thought his mother’s religious contributions had devastated his family. The LDP claims that about half of its legislators have connections to the church, although party leaders have refuted these claims.
As the longest-serving head of government in Japan since World War II and for his diplomatic and economic accomplishments, Kishida has said that Abe deserves the honour of a state burial.
According to critics, the decision was made in an undemocratic manner, and the use of public money was improper and expensive. They assert that Kishida made the decision to arrange a state burial in order to appease a party group loyal to Abe and support his own authority. As a result of the public’s displeasure with how Kishida handled the burial arrangements and the party’s religious links, support ratings for his administration have declined.
A Buddhist temple hosted a family funeral for Abe in July. The state funeral will take place in Tokyo’s Budokan Martial Arts Arena on next Tuesday.