TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Japan has notified Taiwan and 195 diplomatic allies of the Sept. 27 state funeral for former Premier Abe Shinzo, reports said Friday (Aug. 26).

Abe, who was assassinated during an election rally July 8, was noted for his sympathy for Taiwan’s situation in the face of growing Chinese aggressiveness. After his death, numerous members of the public filled a specially erected wall outside the Japanese office in Taipei with messages of condolence.

At least 6,400 guests from all over the world are expected to attend the funeral in Tokyo, including United States Vice President Kamala Harris, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Japan’s Jiji Press reported Thursday (Aug. 25).

The ceremony, only the second state funeral for a Japanese prime minister since World War II, has attracted fierce criticism from inside the country, partly because of its price tag, estimated at 250 million yen (NT$55 million, US$1.82 million).

Taiwan has not announced yet who will represent the country at the state event. Shortly after Abe’s death, Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) traveled to Japan to visit the former prime minister’s family home and attend a private funeral service.