Last respects for Obuchi

There will be a state funeral in June

Former Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi has been cremated at a private funeral in Tokyo.

Mr Obuchi died in a Tokyo hospital on Sunday at the age of 62, six weeks after a massive stroke left him in a coma.

My father ran through [his life] too fast

Obuchi's son, Go

His successor, Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori joined hundreds of mourners at the Aoyama Funeral Hall to pay their final respects before the cremation.

More than 500 people queued up to enter the hall, where his coffin lay on an altar adorned with white lilies and carnations.

Paying last respects

They left flowers and bowed to the coffin with their hands pressed together in prayer.

Mr Obuchi's widow Chizuko, along with his son and his daughters, stood near the altar.

"My father ran through [his life] too fast," Obuchi's 29-year-old son Go told mourners.

The coffin was then taken by hearse to a nearby crematorium.

Funeral row

The government has announced that a state funeral, to be attended by the world's dignitaries, will be held on 8 June.

We have no intention at all of using [the funeral] for election purposes

Mikio Aoki, Cabinet Secretary

But the timing, two weeks before an expected general election, has been criticised by the opposition.

It has accused the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of trying to exploit a sympathy vote in the elections.

Japan is expected to go to the polls on 25 June - Mr Obuchi's birthday.

Obuchi's wife leaves for the crematorium

But Chief Cabinet Secretary Mikio Aoki dismissed calls for the ceremony to be put off until after elections.

He said as many as 5,000 guests would be invited to the state funeral.

Economy

Japan's press and foreign leaders have paid tribute to Mr Obuchi as the architect of Japan's economic recovery.

A mourner pays homage in front of a TV image

Lawmaker Noboru Hidaka, who was among mourners visiting the funeral hall, praised his hard work.

"He became prime minister when Japan was going through the severest time," Mr Hidaka said.

"People do not notice this now, but they will realise in two to three decades that he has done a great job."

Mr Obuchi, who became prime minister in July 1998, was a skilled networker who was known for his common touch.

But he hardly took any rest and his hectic schedule may have contributed to his sudden collapse.

At the time of his stroke Mr Obuchi was struggling to maintain the ruling coalition he had put together as well as dealing with the Mount Usu volcano emergency in northern Japan.