Ghosts Rumored to Haunt the Japan Prime Minister's Official Residence

The World

Imagine if President Obama refused to return to the White House after his reelection because he thought the place was haunted.

Well that's the situation Japan finds itself in – sort of.

Five months ago, Shinzo Abe was elected Prime Minister but he has yet to move into Tokyo's White House, the Shusho Kantei.

Many believe Abe's reluctance is because of a belief that the official residence is haunted.

The brick building does have a pretty storied past.

Just three years after being built in 1929, Prime Minister Inukai was assassinated there.

It's also the site of two violent coups.

Even today you can still see bullet holes in the building.

Needless to say, the government is not owning up to the ghostly gossip but the supernatural is on the minds of many Japanese says writer Roland Kelts.

Kelts is the author of Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the US. He divides his time between New York and Tokyo.

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