On Tuesday, I attended the state funeral for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Despite controversies over the ceremonial event, I had decided that morning that I must act with common sense and decency as a citizen of this country, and transcend personal friendships, political positions or creeds.
The mainstream Japanese media was sharply divided. The liberal Asahi, Mainichi and Tokyo newspapers each carried editorials titled "Abe's 'State Funeral' Deepens Divide at Prime Minister's Discretion," "Heavy Lesson from Memorial without Consensus," and "Verify 'Abe Politics' after Divisive State Funeral.” All criticized the state funeral for having no national consensus.
In contrast, the conservative Yomiuri and Sankei newspapers respectively argued that "Many mourned him in honor of his achievements" and "We wish to show Japan's civility," while the economic daily Nikkei’s editorial board wrote, "The decision-making process should have been more careful in light of criticism.” As the mainstream media would have it, Japan’s public opinion was completely divided.
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