Man sets himself on fire in apparent protest against Abe's state funeral

A man set himself on fire near the Japanese prime minister's office on Wednesday, reportedly as a protest against the government's decision to hold a state funeral for former premier Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated earlier this year, reports suggest. The man, in his 70s, suffered burns to his entire body, while a police officer who tried to extinguish the flames was also injured.

The man was found unconscious, and reports later said that he had deliberately doused himself in oil. A letter about Abe's state funeral and the words "I strongly oppose it", was found nearby.

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Meanwhile, the police declined to confirm the incident.

"I have heard that police found a man who had suffered burns near government offices, and I'm aware that police are investigating," chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a news conference.

Abe was gunned down at a campaign rally on July 8. His state funeral is set for September 27, with around 6,000 people from Japan and overseas set to take part. He was Japan's longest serving premier and had stepped down in 2020 citing ill-health.

People have been opposing the funeral ever since links between the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), of which he was a powerful member, and the controversial Unification Church were revealed after Abe's killing . The suspect in Abe's death has said the church bankrupted his mother and he felt the former prime minister supported it.

Public sentiment regarding the funeral has shifted sharply. Numerous polls show a majority of Japanese now oppose the ceremony.

Links to the Unification Church, founded in South Korea in the 1950s, have become a huge problem for current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and the LDP.

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Support for Kishida has hugely plummeted. A poll by the Mainichi Daily conducted at the weekend showed his support at 29 per cent, down six percentage points from late August.

Support for the LDP fell sixpoints to 23%, the Mainichi said.

People have been questioning the need to hold such an expensive ceremony at a time of growing economic pain for ordinary citizens. The latest government cost estimate is 1.65 billion yen ($12 million), which includes security and receptions.

(With inputs from agencies)