Tokyo’s controversial Yasukuni Shrine is banning military cosplay on its grounds, after the site became a focal point for displays by 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 World War II, although the shrine has said the ban applies year-round. The shrine honors 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 honored are 14 men convicted by the Allies as class-A war criminals after World War II.
Japanese lawmakers leave after offering prayers for the war dead at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on April 22.
“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 Web site, 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 Self-Defense Forces from worshiping at the shrine.
