Opposition parties split over Abe state funeral as CDP says it won't attend

The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the nation's largest opposition party, announced Thursday that its executives will not attend the Sept. 27 state funeral for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The government's failure to address party concerns over the funeral's necessity, the decision-making process for the event and its cost — along with the government’s attitude toward investigating Abe’s connections to the Unification Church — are some of the reasons raised by the CDP on their decision.

“There was no prior explanation of the funeral to parliament," said CDP leader Kenta Izumi. "The funeral will be carried out at the sole discretion of the Cabinet. It’s only natural that many citizens have doubts and feel uncomfortable about holding it.”