TOKYO: Prime Minister Hun Sen pays his last respects to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Nippon Budikan Stadium in Tokyo, Japan.

Prime Minister Hun Sen was one of the more than 4,500 guests who attended the state funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Other world leaders attending included US Vice President Kamala Harris and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Abe’s ashes were carried into the venue and a tribute video honoring his life and career was played for guests to see. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida then delivered a memorial address, praising Abe’s “courage and dedication.”

At the last farewell ceremony in front of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Mrs. Akie Abe, Prime Minister Hun Sen and the attending delegation from Cambodia expressed their deepest condolences and respect over the loss of Shinzo Abe, who was considered an outstanding statesman of the country and people of Japan, as well as a dear friend of the country and people of Cambodia.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated on 8 July 2022 while delivering a speech for the Japanese Senate election campaign in Nara, west Japan.

Prime Minister Hun Sen described Shinzo Abe’s death as not only a huge loss for Japan, but also like the loss of a truly good friend of the Cambodian people and the Prime Minister himself. He said Shinzo Abe had contributed to the development of Cambodia-Japan bilateral relations, and had also helped boost Japan’s development support to Cambodia as well.