New Delhi:
Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, elected in October, has expressed his intent to move into his official residence despite persistent rumours of the house being “haunted”.
Originally constructed in 1929, the two-story, 5,183-square-metre stone and brick mansion was initially built as the Prime Minister’s office. Its Art Deco design symbolised Japan’s transition to modernism in the early 20th century. It was inspired by the architectural style of the Imperial Hotel, designed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The Imperial Hotel, completed in 1923, famously withstood the Great Kanto Earthquake that devastated much of Tokyo.
The building has been the site of numerous tumultuous events in Japanese political history. In 1932, then-Prime Minister Tsuyoshi Inukai was assassinated in the building by young naval officers during a coup attempt. This incident marked a dark turn in Japan’s political trajectory towards militarism. Four years later, another military uprising occurred at the site. Then-Prime Minister Keisuke Okada narrowly escaped assassination by hiding in a closet, though five people were shot dead during the rebellion. A bullet hole above one of the entrance doors remains as a reminder of these events.
After decades of wear, the building underwent renovations, completed in 2005. The Japanese government spent approximately 8.6 billion yen to restore the mansion to its former grandeur while modernising it into a livable space for prime ministers. The renovations included the restoration of intricate wood carvings and ornate rooms, as well as preserving its idiosyncratic stone owl carvings that stand guard outside the building.
Since 2005, the residence has officially served as the Prime Minister’s home.
The Prime Minister’s residence has long been associated with ghost stories. These rumours stem primarily from its violent history. Former Prime Minister Tsutomu Hata’s wife, Yasuko Hata, recounted eerie experiences during her time at the residence in a 1996 memoir. She described feeling an “eerie and oppressive presence” and claimed that military officers’ apparitions had been sighted in the garden during the night.
Yoshiro Mori, another former prime minister, reportedly told Shinzo Abe that he had encountered ghosts in the residence. Despite these accounts, government officials have repeatedly dismissed the rumours. In 2013, during Shinzo Abe’s second tenure as Prime Minister, the government issued a formal denial of any knowledge of hauntings after questions arose over Abe’s decision not to reside in the mansion.
Before the renovations were completed, an exorcism by a Shinto priest was reportedly conducted to cleanse the building of any lingering spirits.
Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, chose not to return to the mansion during his second term from 2012 to 2020. Instead, he resided in his private home in Tokyo’s Shibuya district. His decision was partially influenced by the mansion’s reputation and its association with political instability. From 2006 to 2007, during his first tenure as Prime Minister, the mansion housed six premiers who each served for relatively short periods, averaging just over a year.
Yoshihide Suga, Abe’s successor, also opted against living in the residence.
Fumio Kishida, who became Prime Minister in December 2021, broke this trend by moving into the mansion. When asked about the ghosts, Kishida responded dismissively, stating that he had not encountered any and had slept well through the night.
