Japanese Police Deploy 20,000 for Abe State Funeral... Highest Level of Security Alert

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] The Japanese police will mobilize 20,000 officers and enter the highest level of alert in preparation for the state funeral of former Prime Minister Abe, scheduled for the 27th. Previously, the Japanese police faced criticism for failing to protect former Prime Minister Abe.

On the 26th, the National Police Agency of Japan announced that it would deploy 20,000 officers by combining units dispatched from the Metropolitan Police Department and police forces from various regions for the state funeral. The Metropolitan Police Department, responsible for security in Tokyo, will mobilize 17,500 officers, and 2,500 special dispatch units will be supported from across the country.

Ahead of the state funeral, police were stationed at major stations, terminals, and subway stations throughout Tokyo, and explosive searches were conducted at Tokyo Haneda Airport and other locations.

On the day of the state funeral, protests opposing the funeral are expected to take place around the National Diet Building in Tokyo and other locations, and a large number of police officers will be deployed to the park surrounding the Nippon Budokan, the venue for the funeral ceremony.

Although the Japanese police have strengthened their posture in this way, on the 21st, six days before the state funeral, a citizen attempted self-immolation on a road near the Prime Minister’s Official Residence in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, in opposition to the state funeral.

A total of 1,390 Self-Defense Force personnel will also be mobilized for the state funeral. When the vehicle carrying former Prime Minister Abe’s ashes departs from his Tokyo residence, 20 members of the Self-Defense Force’s special honor guard will pay their respects, and the Self-Defense Force personnel will participate in the funeral ceremony.

Approximately 4,300 people from both domestic and international circles are expected to attend former Prime Minister Abe’s state funeral. Among them, about 700 are foreign government officials, including Prime Minister Han Deok-su and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as foreign ambassadors stationed in Japan.