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Moving to a new house can be a stressful event at any time, not least in the middle of a global pandemic. Add on the possibility of an active haunting in your new home and all kinds of issues arise.

The decision by the recently elected Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to delay moving into his official residence, the Sori Kotei mansion in central Tokyo, has renewed the rumours of the building being haunted, which dogged his predecessor Shinzo Abe.

Suga took office as Japan’s 99th prime minister on 16 September 2020. So far, he has refused to move to the Sori Kotei and stays instead at a building provided for Japan’s House of Representatives. In this he is following the example of former prime minster Abe, who served two terms in office, 2006-2007 and 2012-19. During his second term, Abe also refused to live in the official residence, opting to make a 15-minute commute every day from his private home. He said the 11-room property was too big for his needs, but Japan’s Asahi Shimbun daily newspaper reported Abe admitting the “presence of ghosts” had made him think twice about returning to the house. His political opponents duly mocked him for being afraid of ghosts, but speculation has now been renewed.

Abe cited hearing ghost stories from his predecessors, including former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori who reportedly said he had seen the “leg of a haunted spirit” in the grounds. Apparitions of men in uniform have also been reported to walk the grounds of the mansion. Visions or hallucinations of severed limbs and body parts do feature in apparition sightings over the years, including hands, arms and feet.