He set himself on fire in Tokyo in front of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida 's official residence and was taken to hospital in serious condition.

The man, whose personal details have not been disclosed, allegedly did so in protest against the state funeral organized for former premier Shinzo Abe , who was murdered in early July in the city of Nara, during an election rally.

The state ceremony desired by the current prime minister, scheduled for September 27, is strongly contested by part of the country's public opinion. Abe is considered a divisive figure for his nationalistic policies and the proponent of a revisionism that has led to a growing increase in military spending that has damaged relations with neighboring countries, primarily China and South Korea.

The costs incurred for the organization of the ceremony are also worrying, estimated at approximately 1.66 billion yen (11.7 million euros), with representatives of 160 nations expected. In a recent survey by the Kyodo Agency, 60.8% of the population found the ceremony inappropriate.

Abe was the longest-serving Japanese prime minister ever, with his 8 years and 8 months spread over two terms, the first, shorter, between 2006 and 2007, and then between December 2012 and September 2020. Last one On July 8, he was assassinated at the hands of 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami , a former member of the Self-Defense Forces, with the aid of a homemade pistol. The attacker said he resented the former premier for his ties to the Unification Church, a religious organization with several million believers in South Korea, Japan and the United States, to which his mother also belonged. of Yamagami, causing serious financial problems for his family.

(Unioneonline / D)