Some 2,000 mourners, including current and former lawmakers, attended a memorial service held Saturday for slain former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the western Japan prefecture of Yamaguchi, where his constituency was located.
"My husband loved Yamaguchi Prefecture, and (supporters here) let him do big work for Japan. It was a fruitful 67 years of life for him," the late leader's widow Akie said at the ceremony at a convention center in Shimonoseki. "He was sent off magnificently."
A state funeral was held last month for Abe, the country's longest-serving leader, who was fatally shot during an election campaign speech on July 8 in the western city of Nara by a lone gunman.
The state-funded funeral faced strong opposition, with critics saying the government's decision lacked legal basis and divided public opinion over his political achievements.
Saturday's event, co-organized by the prefectural government, also sparked demonstrations at numerous sites in the prefecture, including near the venue.
Other organizers of the Yamaguchi service included the prefectural assembly and Abe's support group.
The service started around 2 p.m. when Abe's remains arrived at the venue. Mourners observed a moment of silence and laid flowers after a video of Abe was played. The event was streamed live at seven other cities in the prefecture.
"The days have passed while I could not believe (that he died). But gradually, I am feeling the reality," Akie said. "As I feel he is really gone, feelings of loneliness mount day by day."
Abe was prime minister from 2006 to 2007 and from 2012 to 2020. He was in his 10th term as a House of Representatives member.
In the past, the Yamaguchi prefectural government has also held memorial services for lawmakers elected from local constituencies, including former prime ministers Eisaku Sato and Nobusuke Kishi, and former foreign minister and Abe's father, Shintaro Abe.
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