Japan's Diet to Review Controversial State Funeral for Abe

Tokyo, Oct. 20 (Jiji Press)--The steering committee of Japan's House of Representatives decided Thursday to set up a panel to review the way the country held a state funeral for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe amid public controversy over the event.

The panel will be headed by Shunichi Yamaguchi of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Parliamentary groups in the lower chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament, are expected to send one member each to the panel.

The LDP proposed setting up the panel at the day's meeting of executives of the Lower House steering committee. It was accepted by parliamentary groups.

Members of the panel will discuss the process and circumstances regarding the state funeral, held on Sept. 27, while seeking opinions from experts.

Yamaguchi told reporters that the panel's main purpose is to review the state funeral for Abe, who was shot to death in July, and that it will not discuss making a legal framework for future state funerals.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]