Japan's Cabinet approves $1.8m to pay for Abe state funeral

Aug 27 (Nikkei) - Japan's Cabinet on Friday approved a 249 million yen ($1.8 million) allocation to pay for the controversial state funeral next month of slain former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

As the public remains divided over Abe's political legacy and scandals, the Cabinet has no plan to urge ministries and related agencies to extend condolences at the time when the funeral will be held on Sept. 27.

The amount, to be fully disbursed from reserve funds of the government's fiscal 2022 budget, includes 210 million yen for setting up the Nippon Budokan hall venue in Tokyo and 30 million yen for a renting fee.

It also covers COVID-19 precautions as well as funding the provision of simultaneous interpretation for foreign guests, but it does not include the costs for security around the venue provided by police, according to government sources. ...continue reading

Source: ANNnewsCH

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