Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida left his official residence in the middle of the night and stayed at a hotel.
According to Japanese media such as Yomiuri and Fuji News Network (FNN) on the 24th, Prime Minister Kishida returned to his official residence after discussing the response to the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives to be held the next day with Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hideki Murai at 8 p.m. the previous day, but moved to a nearby hotel an hour and a half later. Stayed overnight.
A government official said, “There was a defect in the equipment at the Prime Minister’s residence. “I cannot give any more specific reasons for safety reasons,” he said.
Regarding this, the Yomiuri Shimbun commented, “It is extremely unusual for the Prime Minister to suddenly move at night and stay at a hotel.”
The Prime Minister of Japan can move into his official residence (public residence) for free according to the National Civil Service Accommodation Act, and in the case of Prime Minister Kishida, he has been staying at his official residence since December 2021 after taking office.
However, not all prime ministers use their official residence. Former prime ministers such as Naoto Kan, Shinzo Abe, and Yoshihide Suga used company residences while in office. At the time, some raised the possibility that the reason the prime ministers used company residences rather than official residences was because of rumors that they were ‘haunted’.
In a broadcast interview in June 2013, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was asked about the rumor of a ghost haunting his official residence, and responded that it was an “urban legend (ghost story)” but that “Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori said, ‘I once saw a ghost’s bridge.’” There is an enemy.
The ‘May 15 Incident’ occurred at the Japanese Prime Minister’s Office in 1932, during the imperialist era, when then Prime Minister Tsuyoshi Inukai was assassinated by naval officers.
Also, in 1936, the ‘February 26 Incident’, a coup d’état by officers of the Imperial Army faction (a faction of the former Japanese army that claimed direct rule by the Emperor of Japan) took place here, resulting in many deaths.
Perhaps because of these incidents, there have been persistent rumors around the Prime Minister’s residence that it is ‘haunted’.
During the Abe administration, when this rumor of ghosts became a hot topic even in the National Assembly, the Cabinet adopted an official response stating, “I know nothing (about ghosts).”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.