'Not afraid': Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to move to 'haunted' official residence

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday said that he is ready to move into his official residence, despite tales of supernatural occurrences at this historically significant location that witnessed military rebellions, according to news agency Reuters.

Ishiba has delayed his move because of necessary inspections and repairs after he was elected in October after Fumio Kishida's resignation. However, the exact moving date is not known yet for security reasons, but it is expected shortly.

"I'm not particularly afraid. It might be scary to actually see something, but it's not something we're worried about." Ishiba said during a press conference, when questioned about the alleged supernatural activities.

The residence, constructed in 1929 and previously serving as the prime minister's office, was the location of significant unrest, including the assassination of Prime Minister Tsuyoshi Inukai in 1932.

In her 1996 memoir, former Prime Minister Tsutomu Hata's spouse documented experiencing an unsettling and overwhelming presence during their stay. "Military officers are said to be seen standing in the garden in the middle of the night," Yasuko Hata noted, according to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

The building, extensively renovated in the early 2000s, has functioned as the prime ministers' official residence since 2005.

In 2013, when former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delayed moving in, the government explicitly denied any awareness of hauntings. Abe ultimately chose not to reside there, as did his successor, Yoshihide Suga.
When Kishida moved in during December 2021, he responded to queries about ghosts by stating he hadn't encountered any and enjoyed undisturbed sleep.