Japan's funeral for divisive slain PM Shinzo Abe fuels backlash

FILE PHOTO: People stage a protest in front of the main gate of Japan's parliament building, against the state paying for assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's funeral, in Tokyo, Japan, August 31, 2022, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will honour former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with a rare state funeral on Tuesday, a ceremony that has become a flashpoint for public anger over political scandal and deepened opposition to successor Fumio Kishida.

Abe's assassination in July touched off a series of revelations about ties between lawmakers in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) he once led and the Unification Church, an organisation critics call a cult.