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

TOKYO: 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.