On this day, 34 years ago, on September 25, 1991 (August 18, 1991 in the lunar calendar), the Supreme Court of Japan ruled that government cabinet officials 'visits to the Yasukuni Shrine were unconstitutional. On September 25, 1991, Japan's Supreme Court today rejected the special appeal of the Iwate Prefectural Assembly and prefectural authorities, ruling that official visits by government cabinet members and other officials to the Yasukuni Shrine violated the Constitution. The ruling of the Supreme Court of Japan confirmed the Sendai High Court's decision of January 10, 1991 that visiting Yasukuni Shrine was unconstitutional. The Sendai High Court opened a hearing on the "Yasukuni Shrine lawsuit" filed by residents of Iwate Prefecture. The lawsuit held that the Iwate Prefectural Council's resolution in 1979 requiring the emperor, prime minister and others to formally visit the Yasukuni Shrine, and the 1981 payment by 35 people including the Prefectural Speaker and Prefectural Governor of incense money for visiting the Yasukuni Shrine at public expense violated the Constitution's principle of separation of church and state., and demanded the recovery of incense money totaling more than 20,000 yen. After trial, the Sendai High Court ruled that "official visits to the Yasukuni Shrine have religious significance in terms of purpose. It should be said to be an act of arousing concern for a specific religion and belongs to a religious act prohibited by the Constitution." "The payment of incense money, etc. undermines the neutrality of the Iwate Prefecture authorities who pursue the principle of separation of church and state." The Iwate Prefecture authorities refused to accept the above judgment and filed a special appeal with the Supreme Court of Japan. However, the Supreme Court of Japan not only rejected the appeal, but also found that the special appeal of the Iwate Prefecture authorities was inconsistent with the relevant laws and regulations. After former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone's first official visit to the Yasukuni Shrine in 1985, many lawsuits were filed across Japan regarding the Yasukuni Shrine issue. Today's Supreme Court's decision will have a profound impact on the trials of this series of related lawsuits.