Japanese PM Ishiba condemns Assassin’s Creed video game over cultural disrespect of shrine

Japan’s PM criticised Assassin’s Creed: Shadows for cultural disrespect, sparking debate on historical accuracy and the game’s portrayal of shrines

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Visitors stand at the ‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ video game booth at the Gamescom video games trade fair in Cologne, Germany in August 2024. Photo: AFP

Published: 5:13pm, 20 Mar 2025Updated: 5:46pm, 20 Mar 2025

The release of the latest video game in the blockbuster Assassin’s Creed series has ignited controversy in Japan, prompting Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to assert that the country “will not tolerate any acts” of cultural disrespect following backlash over its portrayal of a real-life Shinto shrine.

Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, the latest instalment in the hugely successful historical action game franchise by French developer Ubisoft, was launched on Thursday. Early previews of the game, set during the Sengoku, or Warring State period of 15th and 16th century Japan, have drawn criticism over allegations of historical inaccuracy and cultural insensitivity.

“It is natural to have respect for the culture and religion of a country, and it is important to send out the message that we will not tolerate any acts that do not respect the culture and religion of a country,” Ishiba told the upper house of the parliament on Wednesday.

Ishiba was responding to a question from lawmaker Hiroyuki Kada of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, who represents Hyogo prefecture, about the government’s stance on the game’s unauthorised use of a shrine’s name.

Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba criticised Assassin’s Creed: Shadows for cultural disrespect. Photo: AFP

The controversy erupted after a promotional video showed players in the game destroying the interior of Itatehyozu Shrine, an actual shrine located in Himeji city.