Roads were blocked and expressways temporarily closed while helicopters dotted central Tokyo’s azure skyline Tuesday as huge throngs gathered around the Nippon Budokan arena for what may be remembered as one of the biggest, and perhaps most controversial, ceremonial events in Japan in recent years: The state funeral of slain former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Up to 20,000 police officers were deployed to ramp up security for the ceremony taking place at the Budokan — a storied venue that has hosted Olympic competitions and legendary musical acts including The Beatles. Around 4,300 people attended the event, 700 of them being foreign dignitaries and officials.
At nearby Kudanzaka Park, two stands were erected for members of the public to lay flowers, with queues extending for several kilometers as thousands of mourners waited for hours in line. Due to the length of the line, people were allowed to continue laying flowers after the originally scheduled closing time of 4 p.m.