Obama among international dignitaries expected at Abe state funeral

The Japanese government is arranging for former U.S. President Barack Obama to attend a state funeral for slain former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe next month, a government source said Tuesday.Other figures who may attend the Sept. 27 ceremony include French President Emmanuel Macron and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, while Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to be absent, the source said.The government plans to finalize the attendance of foreign dignitaries by the end of this week after Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, was shot and killed on July 8 as he…READ FULL ARTICLE