Shigeru Ishiba, the Prime Minister of Japan, responded to a question about Assassin’s Creed Shadows today during an official government conference meeting. While some reports have indicated that Prime Minister Ishiba hit out at Ubisoft’s Feudal Japan-set game and its maker Ubisoft over concerns about its depictions of shrines, the truth is less controversial.
IGN ran the question and answer via our colleagues at IGN Japan to get not only an accurate translation but some context that helps us understand what’s actually happening here. IGN has also asked Ubisoft for comment.
For background, Ubisoft has apologized a number of times in the run up to Shadows’ much-delayed launch over aspects of the game and its marketing that upset some within Japan.
Some expressed frustration with inaccuracies in the game’s depiction of Feudal Japan, leading the development team to issue an apology and say the game is not intended to be a factual representation of history but instead “a compelling, historical fiction.”
Ubisoft also emphasised its collaboration with external consultants and historians, but “despite these sustained efforts, we acknowledge that some elements in our promotional materials have caused concern within the Japanese community,” Ubisoft said. “For this, we sincerely apologize.”
Concern was also raised when the developer used a flag from a Japanese historical re-enactment group in artwork for Assassin’s Creed Shadows without permission. Ubisoft apologized for doing so.
And collectible figure maker PureArts removed an Assassin’s Creed Shadows statue from sale over its use of a one-legged Torii gate, which some said was offensive. Torii gates are found close to religious shrines all over Japan to indicate a boundary separating the human world and the sacred. The one-legged Torii gate has significant meaning of its own, however, as one can famously be found at the Sannō Shrine in Nagasaki, located 900 metres from the hypocenter of the World War 2 atomic bomb which killed upwards of 60,000 people.
With all this in mind, Ubisoft is launching Assassin’s Creed Shadows with a degree of controversy not only in Japan, but with some western fans concerned about its depiction of the country.
The Assassin’s Creed Shadows question was asked by Japanese politician and member of the House of Councillors of Japan, Hiroyuki Kada. Kada, who will campaign for re-election this summer, said:
“I fear that allowing players to attack and destroy real-world locations in the game without permission could encourage similar behavior in real life. Shrine officials and local residents are also worried about this. Of course, freedom of expression must be respected, but acts that demean local cultures should be avoided.”
Prime Minister Ishiba responded:
“How to address this legally is something we need to discuss with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Defacing a shrine is out of the question – it is an insult to the nation itself. When the Self-Defense Forces were deployed to Samawah, Iraq, we ensured 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.”
Shigeru Ishiba, the Prime Minister of Japan, responded to a question about Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images.
Those are accurate translations of the exchange, but what’s the context surrounding them? Our colleagues at IGN Japan helped us understand the situation.
What needs to be understood here is that Japan has seen record numbers of overseas visitors in the wake of the country reopening its borders after the pandemic and the lure of the weak yen. In this government budget meeting the politician Hiroyuki Kada twinned his complaints against Shadows with the controversial subject of what he called “over tourism” and an attendant perceived rise in vandalism and graffiti in Japan.
His argument is that if players are able to deface a temple or harm individuals with a katana in the game, they may be inspired to do it in real life when they visit Japan, similar to the age-old argument that Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto inspire copycat violence.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba responded that if such actions were taken in real life, he would oppose them, but the “if” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. His comments were aimed at theoretical real-life copycat actions rather than at the game itself.
The shrine being defaced in Shadows gameplay videos online is Itatehyozu Shrine in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, which is within Kada’s constituency. He said that he has consulted with representatives of the shrine who say that Ubisoft did not seek their permission to show the shrine and use its name in the game.
While Masaki Ogushi (Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry) responded that government agencies will work together to handle matters “if the shrine seeks consultation,”, that again is a big if, and anyway, in a work of artistic expression Ubisoft would probably be clear legally to use the shrine anyway under the Constitution of Japan.
Responses from both ministers were vague at best and seem unlikely to result in any particular action, especially as Ubisoft appears to have addressed these concerns proactively with a day-one patch – showing they may be more sensitive to the feelings of Japanese citizens than Kada gave them credit for.
News of this day-one patch emerged in Japan this morning, but has yet to be confirmed by Ubisoft’s western operation. According to Automaton, Ubisoft has revealed changes that will be implemented in Assassin’s Creed: Shadows as soon as it releases on March 20.
According to the site, the day-one patch will make tables and shelving located in in-game shrines indestructible and will reduce non-essential depictions of bloodshed taking place in shrines and temples. In addition, when attacking unarmed NPCs, there will no longer be depictions of blood. IGN has asked Ubisoft about this day-one patch, and whether it is specific to Japan.
Irrespective of the game’s success or otherwise in Japan, there is enormous pressure on Assassin’s Creed Shadows to do well for Ubisoft globally after a number of delays and the sales failure of last year’s Star Wars Outlaws. Indeed, Ubisoft has suffered a number of high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations in the run up to Assassin’s Creed shadows’ release.
IGN’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows review returned an 8/10. We said: “By sharpening the edges of its existing systems, Assassin’s Creed Shadows creates one of the best versions of the open-world style it’s been honing for the last decade.”
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
