Putin will not attend Japanese ex-PM Abe's funeral, Kremlin says

FILE PHOTO: A picture of late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot while campaigning for a parliamentary election, is seen at Headquarters of the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo, Japan July 12, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

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(Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the state funeral of Japanese former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the Kremlin said on Monday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia is yet to decide the country's presence at the funeral.

Japan's Sankei daily reported on Saturday that Tokyo was leaning toward not allowing Putin to attend the funeral, set for Sept. 27. Abe was gunned down at a campaign rally this month.

(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)