Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters on Wednesday, “I heard that the police burned a man near the cabinet office before 7 a.m. this morning, and I know that the police are investigating.”
Police are now collecting evidence from security cameras and witnesses, TV Asahi said, adding that an officer who tried to put out the fire was injured and taken to hospital.
The Japanese government has announced it will hold a state funeral for Abe on Sept. 27, with the event estimated to cost up to $12 million due to heavy security and reception fees for hosting foreign dignitaries.
Opposition to that move is growing. Some protesters resent what they see as excessive use of government funds for the event, while others point to Abe’s sometimes divisive politics.
State funerals in Japan are usually reserved for members of the royal family, although former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida was also given the honor in 1967.
Despite his victory at the ballot box, Abe was no stranger to controversy. He has been involved in several scandals during his career and has sparked controversy over visiting the Yasukuni Shrine, which bears the names of convicted war criminals and is considered a symbol of Japan’s imperial military past in China, North Korea, and South Korea.