Yasukuni Shrine bans military uniforms ahead of Liberation Day

Yasukuni Shrine, widely regarded as a symbol of Japanese militarism, has issued an unusual notice banning military uniforms and gear on its grounds ahead of Aug. 15 — the date Korea marks as Liberation Day and Japan observes as the anniversary of its World War II defeat. The move is seen as an effort to prevent disorder and confrontations caused by attire evoking militarism, as right-wing groups are known to converge on the shrine around that date each year.

According to the shrine's website Sunday, the shrine office posted a notice Friday titled "Guidance on attire and related matters within the shrine grounds," announcing a ban on cosplay costumes on the premises. The prohibition also covers military uniforms and equipment.

The shrine said the grounds are a solemn and sacred place enshrining the spirits of the war dead, and asked visitors to cooperate so that worshippers may pay their respects in a peaceful and reverent atmosphere.

The timing of the notice is particularly striking. Yasukuni Shrine has long drawn attention around Aug. 15, when right-wing groups visit in military dress, display rising-sun flags and engage in behavior that glorifies militarism. Such gatherings have at times led to clashes or disturbances involving other worshippers or counter-protesters.

The shrine's decision to ban not only military uniforms but also military equipment and cosplay is widely interpreted as an attempt to preemptively block attire that could escalate into political or inflammatory conduct on the grounds. However, the shrine did not explicitly cite right-wing demonstrations or clashes as the direct reason for the notice.

Yasukuni Shrine commemorates approximately 2,466,000 people who died in Japan's civil conflicts and various wars around the time of the Meiji Restoration. It has come to symbolize Japanese militarism because it also enshrines Class-A war criminals convicted and executed by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, including Hideki Tojo, who served as Japan's prime minister during the Pacific War.

The shrine remains a source of controversy in Korea as well. An estimated 20,000 soldiers and civilian military workers from the Korean Peninsula are believed to have been enshrined there without the consent of their families, and bereaved relatives have been pursuing legal action seeking to have their loved ones removed.

Right-wing activity in Japan has continued into August. Demonstrations glorifying Japanese imperialism and militarism, with rising-sun flags on display, have been held not only near Yasukuni Shrine but also at other locations in Tokyo and elsewhere. A Korean tourist who witnessed a right-wing rally in Tokyo's Roppongi district Wednesday told Yonhap that most ordinary Japanese onlookers watched the demonstration with expressions of surprise or shock, with many recording it on their phones.