Japan Press Weekly

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2013 October 2 - 8 [POLITICS]

9 ministers visit shrine of Tennno’s ancestral deity

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and eight other ministers on October 2 attended a ceremony at a shrine which mythologizes the Emperor’s ancestral claim to be a deity in violation of the Constitution prescribing the separation of religion and state.

Ise Jingu located in Ise City in Mie Prefecture used to be the headquarters of all shrines in Japan before and during the war. This shrine, under state-sponsored Shintoism, played a role in mobilizing the nation to support the war.

Ise Jingu conducts a ritual in association with the replacement of a pavilion dedicated to the Tennno’s imaginary ancestor once every 20 years.

It was the first participation of the prime minister in this event since the end of WWII. Along with Abe, Deputy Prime Minister Aso Taro, Education Minister Shimomura Hakubun and six other ministerial members visited there.

Article 20 Clause 1 and Clause 3 of the present Constitution say, “No religious organization shall receive any privileges from the State, nor exercise any political authority,” and “The State and its organs shall refrain from religious education or any other religious activity,” respectively.

The Liberal Democratic Party in its draft constitution aims to position the Tenno (Emperor) as the head of the state. The present head of the state, Abe, took part in the religious activity hosted by the religious organization which still worships the divine origins of the Tenno. What they aspire for is a Tenno-centered Japan, reported Akahata.