Tokyo’s controversial Yasukuni shrine is banning military cosplay on its grounds, after the site become a focal point for displays by ultra-nationalist groups, often dressed in replica army uniforms or military-style dress.
The clothing ban comes in the lead-up to the anniversary this weekend of the defeat of Japan in the second world war, also known as VJ Day, although the shrine has said the ban applies year round.
The shrine honours 2.5 million Japanese soldiers and civilians who died in wars in the 19th and 20th centuries, but it has become a symbol of Japan’s militarism and wartime brutality, particularly in China and South Korea. Among those honoured are 14 men convicted by the Allies as class-A war criminals after the second world war.
“While visits by people who actually served in the military, wearing the clothing of the time, have largely disappeared as 80 years have passed since the end of the war, people with no relevant affiliation or qualification have increasingly been seen visiting in military uniforms,” read the statement on the shrine’s website, which described it as a “solemn and sacred place”.
Yasukuni initially issued the announcement forbidding the wearing of military attire last week, provoking a backlash from some who said it would stop serving members of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces from worshipping at the shrine.
In response, Yasukuni issued an additional statement on Wednesday clarifying that serving personnel, and members of military forces from overseas, were exempt from the new rules.
Past visits to the shrine by Japanese leaders and lawmakers have provoked angry responses from Beijing and Seoul.
It was reported in domestic media on Thursday that prime minister Sanae Takaichi is not planning to visit the shrike on the anniversary of Japan’s defeat in the second world war this Saturday. Known for her hawkish views, Takaichi did visit last year.
Wartime emperor Hirohito stopped visiting Yasukuni after the war criminal enshrinement controversy. Since then, the imperial family has paid its respects to the war dead at Chidorigafuchi national cemetery, near the Imperial Palace.
