In a landmark ruling April 7, the Fukuoka District Court ruled that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni Shrine, the memorial to Japan's war dead, contravened the constitutional principle of keeping state and religion separate. The court, however, dismissed the plaintiffs' demand for compensation, saying the visits did not infringe on their freedom of religion. The plaintiffs accepted the ruling as a de facto victory and decided not to appeal.
Meanwhile, Koizumi, apparently shocked by the ruling, repeatedly told reporters, "I don't understand."
More recently, in an unusual development, a judge with the Yokohama District Court criticized the ruling in an article he contributed to a mass-circulation weekly magazine. The article alleged that the Fukuoka judge exceeded the prerogatives of his office by touching on the constitutional issue, which was unrelated to his decision to reject the compensation claims. Hot debate is expected on the neutrality of the judiciary.