Japan’s PM ‘will not tolerate’ cultural disrespect, in response to questions on Assasins Creed Shado

Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the latest entry in Ubisoft’s long-running video game franchise, was discussed during a parliamentary session in Japan on Thursday, in which a video of protagonist Yasuke destroying a Shinto shrine in the game was played. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said that the country “will not tolerate any acts” of cultural disrespect.

The game was released on Thursday and is set during Japan’s Sengoku period, a time of intense warfare in the 15th and 16th centuries. Hiroyuki Kada, a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, questioned the game’s use of the Itate Hyōdō Shrine in Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture, without permission. 

Japan lawmakers talk Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Gameplay footage circulating online shows one of the game’s infamous protagonists, Yasuke, wielding his sword inside the shrine, destroying drums and altars, attacking people, and shooting arrows at a priest in the precinct.

Seriously, why Yasuke can shoot on priests and destroy objects in shrines and temples, including those representing Gods and other religious symbols?
I thought we cannot do such things in Assassin's creed previous series.
Is it only for Japan?#AssassinsCreedShadows pic.twitter.com/LWxhhlK8tJ

— tk8d32（キャパオーバーにつき一時募集停止中） (@tk8d32) January 30, 2025

“As it is related to a local shrine, I spoke directly with the chief priest. I would like to know the Prime Minister’s opinion on the unauthorized use of images of unique facilities in games,” Kada remarked.

At first, Vice Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry Ogushi Masaki stood to answer Kada, reiterating that permission must be obtained for commercial use of real-world sites. 

“Each case depends on specific circumstances and should be resolved through discussion between the involved parties. But if the shrine seeks consultation, relevant government agencies will work together to handle the matter appropriately,” he stated.

Kada then discussed how allowing players to attack and destroy real-world locations in the game without consent could “encourage similar behavior in real life.”

“Shrine officials and local residents are also worried about this,” he said. “Of course, freedom of expression must be respected, but acts that demean local cultures should be avoided.”

It was Prime Minister Ishiba who responded to the policymaker this time, saying: 

“Defacing a shrine is out of the question. It is an insult to the nation itself,” he said. “When the Self-Defense Forces were deployed to Samawah, Iraq, we ensured that they studied Islamic customs beforehand. Respecting the culture and religion of a country is fundamental, and we must make it clear that we will not simply accept acts that disregard them.”

Ishiba also mentioned that discussions with relevant ministries, including the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, would be necessary to address the issue of vandalism legally.

Online debate over Yasuke

The game’s depiction of Yasuke, a historical figure that some archives describe as the first samurai of African descent, has been the subject of a discussion on social media for weeks. Japanese citizens argue that authentic documents containing the history of feudal Japan do not say Yasuke was a samurai but a servant to Oda Nobunaga, a minister of the Right of Japan.

He is believed to have arrived in Japan from Mozambique in the late 16th century, traveling with Portuguese missionaries before serving under the warlord Nobunaga.

Ubisoft’s game conceptualizes Yasuke’s journey to Japan with the missionaries in the first act and moves forward six months later when the warrior of African descent becomes Nobunaga’s right-hand man after the latter keeps him due to his “warrior instincts.” 

The Japanese gaming community argues that it is inappropriate to center a foreign figure in a story based on Japanese history. Critics claim that the choice distorts historical narratives, including a story tree where Yasuke has an affair with Lady Oichi, Oda Nobunga’s married sister.

“This feels like exactly what some woke developer would believe to be empowering. Take someone who was known to genuinely love and respect her husband, and the second an exotic foreigner shows up, she is immediately ready to abandon all of her restraint and virtues and jump him,” commented one Redditor.

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