Last week's conflicting high court rulings on Prime Minister's contentious visits to Yasukuni Shrine showed that the judicial system of the world's second-largest economy is sharply divided on the politically sensitive issue.
The visits to the war-related shrine, a recurring source of diplomatic friction with China and South Korea, have prompted several lawsuits charging that Koizumi is violating the supreme code's separation of state and religion.
The Tokyo High Court ruled Sept. 30 that Koizumi's 2001 visit to Yasukuni was made in a private capacity and avoided ruling on constitutionality. On the following day, the Osaka High Court ruled all his visits were official and thus violated the Article 20 of the Constitution, which prohibits the state from engaging in religious education or "any other religious activity."