Jeff, your speaking to us from tokio. The only pli i saw about this indicated that almost half of japanese support a state funded funeral and 38 % were opposed. As sotona noted, abe was a very devisive figure, but after his assassination,. the media coverage was very deferential, respectful. I think it created a mood in which you expected the public would rally in support. So i guess i was a little surprised about the level of opposition.
Japan's recently assassinated former prime minister Shinzo Abe was a leader who leaves behind a complex legacy. Internationally, he strengthened Japan's relationship with the US in ways unseen before. Closer to home, crucial good relations with South Korea dissipated. His attitude towards Japan's difficult history was sometimes praised as a readiness for neutrality, while others criticised this as denialist revisionism. In the weeks since Abe's death, Japanese citizens have also begun to grapple with the reality of how involved their political system has become with influential religious groups, too. To help unpack some of these issues and discuss how Japan will move forward, we're joined by two specialists in modern Japanese history, Satona Suzuki from SOAS, University of London, and Jeff Kingston from Temple University, Japan. Our host for this podcast is journalist and broadcaster Philippa Thomas.
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