Tokyo on July 12th is the focus of the world.
On this day, the funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was held at 1:00 pm (12:00 Beijing time) at Zojoji Temple in Tokyo. Only relatives could attend.
Abe ’s body was transported home on July 9 for Abe’s very close relatives and friends to pay their last respects.
Among them are Abe's political leader Koizumi Junichiro former Prime Minister, as well as the current Prime Minister Kishida Fumio , Speaker of the House of Representatives, Japan Business Federation Chairman, etc.
According to an article by Xu Jingbo, a media person who has lived in Japan for a long time, there is an open window on the lid of the Japanese coffin, and the face of the deceased can be seen. People who are close to the deceased will reach out and touch the face of the deceased. This is also the last chance for people to meet the deceased.
At 2:30 pm on July 11, Abe’s body was transported in a hearse from his lifetime residence to Zojoji Temple under the protection of his wife Akie Abe.
According to the specifications of a family funeral, a vigil ceremony was held at Zojoji Temple at 6 pm on the 11th. The funeral director was Akie Abe. 2,500 people including Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other politicians, business people and foreign dignitaries attended. Condolences. The Emperor of Japan dispatched a special envoy, the Deputy Minister of the Imperial Household Agency, who arrived at Zojoji Temple before the farewell ceremony began, presented a flower basket to Abe's coffin, and burned incense in condolences.
Zoujoji Temple was once the home temple of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Edo period. There are still the tombs of several generations of Tokugawa generals in the temple.
Everyone was wearing black clothes and looked extremely solemn. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stood in the middle of the crowd holding Buddhist beads.
The funerals of Japanese politicians in the past basically followed Japanese Buddhist regulations. Most funeral venues are Buddhist temples and public auditoriums, and cemeteries are mainly family cemeteries in Buddhist temples or public cemeteries.
Main steps:
Accepting the coffin - the undertaker arranges the appearance and then puts the coffin into the coffin;
Staying up all night - a vigil attended by relatives and friends the night before the funeral, usually with eminent monks chanting sutras and relatives and friends burning incense. Non-relatives and friends will be arranged to attend all night due to daily arrangements or the funeral is limited to family members.
Funeral and Farewell Ceremony - A funeral is held in the morning after the all-nighter, and the ceremony is carried out according to different religious beliefs. After the ceremony, a farewell ceremony is held, flowers are laid and a final farewell is made to the deceased.
Coffin removal - after the above ceremony, move the coffin of the deceased to the crematorium.
After the deceased is cremated, the funeral director expresses his gratitude to the monks and guests. After that, the bones were placed within 49 days and finally buried with religious rituals.
Previously The Liberal Democratic Party and Fumio Kishida proposed a state funeral for Abe, but Abe declined, saying he did not want to disturb the public during the epidemic.
Mrs. Abe has been keeping vigil all night since last night. About 2,500 people came to express their condolences, including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, U.S. Treasury Secretary Yellen who was visiting Japan, as well as dignitaries and public figures such as the U.S. and Russian consuls in Japan. The Japanese Emperor Deren and the Queen Masako also sent their ministers to offer incense to pay tribute.
This morning, the farewell ceremony began. At the same time, a farewell ceremony was also held in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Shinzo Abe’s hometown.
Since participation in the all-night vigil was limited to relatives and friends of Shinzo Abe, a flower-laying stand was set up outside the site for general mourners. There was a long queue of people who came to say goodbye. Some people could not bear the sadness and hid their faces and cried bitterly.
During the period of mourning, Abe Akie put her cheek against Abe’s body, reluctant to part ways from now on.
Mrs. Abe spoke at the funeral and said that until now she feels like she is in a dream.
"I had breakfast with my husband at 8 a.m. that morning and sent him out. However, after 11:30 a.m., I received the news that he had been shot. At that time, I was told not to tell my mother. I pretended to be calm. But news of his shooting began to appear on television."
Abe's mother Yoko Abe , who is in her 90s and lives in a nursing home, was shocked when she saw the report of her son's assassination on the TV news during lunch. Although others immediately turned off the TV, she could not hide her grief. Crying loudly.
Mrs. Abe rushed to the hospital from Tokyo, changing trains all the way from the Shinkansen to the Kintetsu, and saw Abe for the last time.
On the way there, Abe Akie kept calm. , on the verge of emotional collapse, he said to his entourage in a trembling voice: "He can no longer be in politics. "
At around 4:55 p.m., her car parked in front of the Nara Prefectural Medical University Hospital.
minutes later, the news that "Shinzo Abe was confirmed dead" came.
Seeing her unconscious husband, Akira Abe Megumi finally couldn't help crying and kept calling Abe's nickname. She held her husband's hand, and she felt her husband shake it back.
Finally, for Abe, who had been relying on artificial respiration for a long time. After saying "Okay", Abe passed away peacefully.
In the next few days, 60-year-old Abe Akie hardly rested, according to Japanese actress Kanda Uno, who had a good relationship with Mrs. Abe. , Abe Akie still couldn't believe it all, saying, "This day is so long."
At the farewell ceremony this morning, Abe Akie kept standing and saluting everyone
Abe Shinzo's younger brother and current Defense Minister . Nobuo Kishi also posted his condolences for the first time on the 12th. Nobuo Kishi wrote in the article: "I lost my brother, and at the same time, Japan lost an irreplaceable leader."
Kishi, who was adopted into his uncle's home since childhood. Nobuo said, “My brother loves Japan and devotes his life to politics in order to protect this country. Those who stayed knew it. "Thank you for your hard work. Now I just hope you rest in peace." "
Nobuo Kishi also attached a photo of the two brothers in the article.
After the funeral ceremony, the hearse set off from Zojoji Temple and headed to the funeral parlor. On the way, it passed the Prime Minister's Official Residence, the National Assembly , the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters and other places, and its own political stage Say a final farewell to colleagues.
At around 15:10 in the afternoon, the hearse carrying Shinzo Abe’s body arrived at the Prime Minister’s residence. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Abe’s brother, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi and other Japanese government officials greeted the hearse at the gate. When the motorcade arrived, everyone collectively bowed farewell to the hearse, and Abe Akie nodded to the mourners in the front seat of the hearse.
When the motorcade escorting Abe's body drove away from Zojoji Temple, hundreds of people waved and gathered on both sides of the street. People applauded in farewell, and people along the street bowed to the passing hearse, and some people burst into tears.
Among the crowds of people passing by, people shouted "Thank you, Abe" from time to time, and there was a queue of people outside the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters before the hearse passed by. 500 meters long.
Abe Akie sat in the front seat of the hearse, bowing to pay tribute to the crowd on the roadside.
Later today, Abe's body will arrive at Kiritani Funeral Home in Tokyo for cremation, and will then be buried in his hometown in Yamaguchi Prefecture. In the Abe family cemetery, the tomb of his father Shintaro Abe is placed together.
Although Abe did not receive a state funeral, he still enjoyed great honors after his death. The day before the funeral, the Japanese cabinet meeting decided to fly the flag at half mast for Abe at the Prime Minister's residence. Condolences. This is also a treatment that only the current prime minister can enjoy. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hiroshi explained that Abe was “barbarically deprived of his life” during the Senate election, and the decision was made to give Abe out of the people’s sadness. Memorial ceremony for the current Prime Minister.
In addition to lowering the flag at half-mast, the Kishida government also decided to award Abe the "Chrysanthemum Medal of Honor" and the "Chrysanthemum Medal of Honor".The "Grand Order Chrysanthemum Medal Neck Ornament" is the only medal in Japan that is presented as a neck ornament, and it is the highest medal. After World War II In addition to foreign heads of state, Shinzo Abe was the fourth person to be awarded this medal. The top three are Yoshida Shigeru , Sato Eisaku and Naka Sone Yasuhiro , all Japanese names.
Abe Akie said that her husband has always had a movie dream. "He likes movies very much and even wants to be a movie director. He has not given up now."
"It would be great if this is true. If he is not a politician, I I will definitely love him even more."
After the funeral, Abe Akie posted two photos on social media to mourn her late husband.
The first picture is from 1980, when 26-year-old Abe participated in a street speech for the first time to canvass votes for his father.
The second picture is of Abe riding a bicycle in the yard of his home when he was three years old.
At this moment, she must have remembered every bit of her 35 years of marriage. Perhaps what she regrets most is that everything came to an abrupt end before the two of them could say goodbye properly.
