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It's no secret that becoming a world leader comes with its own set of perks. An entire entourage of advisors and bodyguards, a fancy car or two (or an entire fleet), your own private plane, and whatever else a prime minister or president needs to go about their job.
Of course, perhaps the most noticeable change any newly-elected world leader goes through is their place of residence.
But for Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, the official residence is one place he'd rather not live in.
IMAGE: Reuters / The Japan Times
Known colloquially as the sori kotei, the official residence of the Prime Minister of Japan has sat vacant for years, with multiple Japanese Heads of State refusing to live there during their terms.
One might wonder why this may be. After all, it looks pretty fancy:
The Official Residence (left) and the Prime Minister's Office (right) are within walking distance of each other. IMAGE: Kyodo / Japan Today
Constructed in 1929, the building was originally used as the Prime Minister's Office. It has a 5,183-square-meter floorspace big enough for any Prime Minister, but despite its age, the building has only been home to seven leaders since its designation as the Official Residence.
But like the Prime Ministers before him, Suga is facing a lot of criticism from the opposition for not making use of the residence, which cost Japanese taxpayers US$1.5 million (?160 million) to maintain in 2020. One of the biggest concerns is the length of time it takes for Suga to reach the Prime Minister's Office for important meetings and announcements.
IMAGE: NHK
Yoshihiko Noda, Prime Minister from 2011 to 2012, questioned Suga's decision to stay in his cramped apartment, citing a recent magnitude 7.3 earthquake which struck northeastern Japan. It took Suga 20 minutes to reach the Prime Minister's Office to chair an emergency meeting, when it could have happened in mere minutes if he had been living at the Official Residence.
“What would happen if there was an earthquake directly beneath Tokyo?" asked Noda. “The traffic would probably be impassable. It would take more than 20 minutes. But to walk from the Prime Minister’s Residence to the Office would take zero minutes."
The sori kotei has a bloody history.
IMAGE: Zagyoso / SoraNews24
The land on which the residence stands was the site of numerous historical (and bloody) events. Back in 1932, 11 naval officers attempted to engage a military coup, shooting then-Prime Minister Tsuyoshi Inukai, who later died from gunshot wounds. This tragedy would come to be known as the May 15 Incident.
IMAGE: WTCA / SoraNews24
Just four years after Inukai's assassination, the brother-in-law of then-Prime Minister Keisuke Okada, along with four other men, were shot and killed in another attempted military coup, which came to be known as the February 26 Incident.
According to a report by SoraNews24, one can still find bullet holes in the Official Residence.
Despite a haunting past, experts believe the real reason Japan's leaders have refused to live in the Official Residence is more mundane.
It's simply too big, says Hiromi Murakami, political science professor at Temple University Tokyo.
“I have heard vague stories of the place being haunted, but I really do not think that can be used to justify the Prime Minister not moving in,” said Murakami.
“But I have also heard that the residence is not a very ‘comfortable’ place to be in. Japanese people are used to small and compact homes, so to suddenly be asked to move into a huge place like that would feel quite strange. That is probably a more likely reason than the reports of ghosts.”
If that's the case, this writer believes the Prime Minister should.. you know.. just deal with it.
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Cover image sourced from Kyodo and Zagyoso / SoraNews24.
