The funeral of Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot dead in July, will cost the state about 1.7 billion yen (12.1 million euros), it was announced Tuesday.

The increase in the initial cost, estimated at almost 250 million yen (1.7 million euros), was due to security and reception expenses for the representatives from more than 190 countries and territories, including about 50 heads of state, said Japanese government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno, quoted by SIC.

Security costs were estimated at 800 million yen (5.6 million euros) and those for receiving foreign dignitaries at 600 million yen (4.2 million euros), he added.

Soon after the July 8 assassination of Shinzo Abe during an election rally in Nara (west), Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced the intention to hold state funeral ceremonies, scheduled for July 27 in Tokyo.

However, such a tribute to a former prime minister is rare in Japan since the post-war period.

Despite Shinzo Abe's record longevity in power (2006-2007 and 2012-2020) and intense international activity, the politician is very controversial in Japan, with terms in office tainted by numerous political and financial scandals.

According to a poll published Monday by the conservative daily Yomiuri, 56% of those polled were against the state funeral.

Some citizens oppose public funding of the ceremony, while others are against it because they believe it will lead the population to glorify Shinzo Abe, a controversial figure of the Japanese nationalist right.

The alleged assassin, Tetsuya Yamagami, claimed after he was arrested that he had targeted the former prime minister for his alleged links to the Unification Church, also known as the Moon cult.