Japan notifies Russia and other countries of ex-PM Abe's state funeral

FILE PHOTO: A mourner offers flowers next to a picture of late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot while campaigning for a parliamentary election, on the day to mark a week after his assassination at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters, in Tokyo, Japan July 15, 2022. REUTERS/Issei Kato

The Japanese government has notified all the countries it has diplomatic ties with, including Russia, of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's state funeral, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki said on Monday.

The comment comes after Japan's Sankei daily reported on Saturday the government was leaning toward not allowing Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the funeral, set for Sept. 27. Abe was gunned down at a campaign rally this month.

(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Toby Chopra)