August 19, 2022

Regardless of differences in faith, 60 religious figures on August 18 submitted to the Cabinet Office a joint statement demanding that the Kishida Cabinet withdraw its decision to hold a state funeral for Former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo on the grounds that the postwar Japanese Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and thus the state authority should not impose on the general public a need to express condolences over Abe's death.

At a rally held after the submission, Nichiren Buddhism priest Ono Bunko, one of facilitators of a religious figures’ group working to defend the war-renouncing Article 9, said that it is significant that persons of different religious faiths, including Buddhism, Protestantism, Catholicism, and Shintoism, teamed up to issue the statement in protest against Abe’s state funeral.

Rev. Yoshitaka Kano (Japan Baptist Convention), who is the chair of the National Christian Council in Japan, pointed out that ex-PM Abe had refused to talk to his opponents. The Reverend went on to point out that Abe had had connections with the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (Moonies or the former Unification Church) and carried out politics in a heavy-handed manner. He criticized the planned state funeral honoring such a controversial person.

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Representatives Shiokawa Tetsuya delivered a speech in solidarity. He pointed out that the Kishida government’s decision on the state funeral has no legal basis and violates people’s right to freedom of thought and conscience. Stating that ex-PM Abe’s responsibility for political scandals including his link with the Moonies is being called into question, the JCP lawmaker said, “Together with you, the JCP will work hard to foil the Kishida administration’s attempt to hold a state funeral for Abe.”

Past related articles:
> Cabinet decision on 'state funeral' conflicts with democracy and rule of law [July 26, 2022]
> JCP is opposed to 'state funeral' of ex-PM Abe [July 16, 2022]