Moving into a ‘haunted’ building, the Japanese prime minister is not afraid

One day before moving into the Japanese Prime Minister’s Office, officially named Sōri Daijin Kantei, Mr. Shigeru Ishiba said he was ready to move into the residence of Japanese leaders, despite rumors that the place was This place is “haunted”.

After his predecessor Fumio Kishida resigned, Mr. Ishiba was elected Prime Minister of Japan in October. However, his move into Sōri Daijin Kantei was postponed because of inspection and repair work.

“I’m not afraid,” Reuters quoted Prime Minister Ishiba as answering a question about “haunted” rumors at the Prime Minister’s Office, adding that he wanted to move in as soon as possible.

“It might be scary to actually see something, but this is not something we’re worried about,” the leader replied.

Sōri Daijin Kantei was built in 1929 and was previously the office of the Prime Minister of Japan. In 1932, then Prime Minister Tsuyoshi Inukai was assassinated inside this place.

Four years later, a military riot continued to occur in the building, but fortunately Prime Minister Keisuke Okada escaped death.

In her memoir published in 1996, Ms. Yasuko Hata, wife of Prime Minister Tsutomu Hata (held office for 5 weeks in 1994), recounted the creepy feeling and feeling of an oppressive presence during that time. short there.

“Shadows of officers spotted standing in the garden in the middle of the night”, newspaper Asahi Shimbun quoted Ms. Yasuko Hata.

After extensive renovations in the early 2000s, the building has been the prime minister’s official residence since 2005.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s delay in moving house in 2013 forced the government to speak out to deny haunted rumors. Mr. Abe then decided not to be here, and his successor Yoshihide Suga did the same.

When Prime Minister Kishida moved into Sōri Daijin Kantei in December 2021, he was asked by many people about the appearance of ghosts. However, the leader replied that he did not see any ghosts and slept well all night.