The state funeral planned to be held for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sept. 27 will cost an estimated ¥1.66 billion ($11.8 million) once the price of security and welcoming overseas dignitaries is factored in, the government announced Tuesday.
The original estimate — which only took into account the cost of renting and preparing the Budokan arena in central Tokyo, and didn’t cover additional security for the estimated 6,400 attendees — was ¥250 million.
Justifying the increase in spending, which the government has confirmed will be drawn from the national budget, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said that, while it was difficult to accurately predict total costs, announcing the estimate was necessary “from the standpoint of providing a thorough explanation” to the public.
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