By Tim Binnall
Japan's newest prime minister has become the first person in nearly a decade to take up residence in a century-old and allegedly haunted mansion that is supposed to officially serve as the country's version of the White House. Fumio Kishida reportedly moved into the palatial estate this past weekend in something of a break from recent tradition as, over the past nine years, his two predecessors had each opted for alternative accommodations. Despite providing prosaic explanations for why they opted not to live in the official residence, many theorized that the real reason was because of the ghosts rumored to lurk within its walls.
Specifically, it is believed that the mansion may be home to the spirit of former Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi, who was assassinated in the residence in 1932, or various individuals who perished at the estate during a coup attempt four years later. Over the last few decades, the site has earned something of a spooky reputation in large part thanks to tales passed down from one occupant to the next and then subsequently reported in the press. Most notably, former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori is said to have actually seen a ghost in the mansion and former First Lady Yasuko Hata once revealed to reporters that "I was told that there are many people clad in military uniform in the garden."
Amazingly, the site was even subjected to an exorcism in 2005 in an attempt to eradicate any sinister spirits that might still call the palace home. However, it would seem that new Prime Minister Kushida harbors no fears of such ghosts as he took up residence in the mansion over the weekend. After spending his first night in the estate, curious reporters asked him about the experience and he informed them that "I slept soundly." As for if he had seen the mansion's infamous ghosts, Kushida simply replied "I haven't seen any, yet." That said, should the he wind up quickly moving out of the mansion in the not too distant future, it just may be because spirits were unhappy about having to share their home again after almost a decade of peace and quiet.