With the anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II approaching, Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine has introduced new rules banning visitors from wearing military uniforms or costumes on its grounds.
The shrine asked visitors not to wear “military attire,” which it defines as including military uniforms and equipment, as well as other costume attires. It did not specify in the notice, issued on Friday, whether the restrictions were prompted by a particular incident.
The shrine said that the rules are intended to “maintain the tranquility and dignity of the sacred grounds where the spirits of the war dead are enshrined.”
The announcement came just over a week before the annual Aug. 15 commemorations, when a large number of people traditionally pay the shrine a visit to mark the anniversary of the war’s end.
Founded in 1869, Yasukuni honors some 2.5 million of Japan’s war dead, including 14 Class-A war criminals. Visits by Japanese political leaders have routinely drawn criticism from neighboring countries, which regard the shrine as a symbol of the nation’s wartime militarism.
Visitors dressed in military uniforms have been a visible feature of the shrine, with men wearing Imperial Japanese military attire regularly seen among those gathering there over the years.
The new rules have drawn mixed reactions online. Some users welcomed the move as an appropriate step to preserve the solemn atmosphere, while others questioned how broadly the ban would be interpreted and how it would be enforced.
