TOKYO: Japan’s Supreme Court has upheld lower court decisions that dismissed a petition for an injunction against Tuesday’s state funeral for former Prime Minister ABE Shinzo.

The petition was filed by a civic group, which claimed that forcing people to take part in a funeral violates freedom of thought and conscience, protected under the Constitution. The group sought to block a cabinet decision to hold the funeral and related fiscal spending.

Previously, a district court said that there was no benefit in filing such a petition as a cabinet decision to hold the funeral had already been made. It also said that the funeral is unlikely to force individuals to mourn for Abe.

Tokyo High Court has upheld the lower court’s decision. It dismissed the civic group’s claim that the district court did not conduct hearings with people concerned, saying that this was not illegal.

JIJI Press