Junichiro Koizumi

In the first ruling of its kind concerning Koizumi's visits to the Shinto shrine, which honors the nation's war dead as well as convicted Class-A war criminals, the court said the visit falls under religious activity that the state is banned from participating in under the Constitution.

The decision was handed down in response to a lawsuit filed by 211 plaintiffs in Kyushu, who claimed that Koizumi's visit to the shrine Aug. 13, 2001, violated the constitutional separation of state and religion.

The plaintiffs had sought ¥21.1 million -- or ¥100,000 each -- in damages from the government, citing the psychological suffering they experienced as a result of the prime minister's shrine visit. But the court rejected their compensation demands, ruling the visit did not violate their freedom of conscience.

Koizumi said that he will keep visiting the shrine despite the ruling.

"I don't understand why (visits) are unconstitutional," he said after hearing about the ruling.

The Japan Times Weekly: April 17, 2004
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