ArchivingLeftists (@ArchivingLeftists)

"In just the first five months of 2026, nine major shrines and temples have burned across #Japan. January 15: #Suga Shrine, #Kitakyushu, #Fukuoka February 7: #Horenji, #Matsuyama, #Ehime February 13: #Hottoji, #Kuma Highland, #Ehime — 1 person died February 20: Shorinji, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi — 5 people died April 24: #Renshoji, #ToyamaCity, #Toyama April 27: #Uruwashitsune Shrine, #Nabari, #Mie May 6: #FurumachiAtago Shrine, #NiigataCity, #Niigata May 16: #Daishoji, #Takaoka, #Toyama May 20: #Reikaido at #Itsukushima Shrine, #Hatsukaichi, #Hiroshima (#WorldHeritage site) These are not ordinary fires. Many of these sacred places had stood for hundreds — some over a thousand — years. I’m not a politician. I’m not an activist. I’m just an ordinary Japanese who loves this country. Every time I see another irreplaceable piece of our history and culture go up in flames, I feel a quiet fear. Japan was supposed to be the one place where this kind of thing almost never happened. When did our temples and shrines start burning one after another?" #arson https://archive.is/r0kbL "Japan's government needs to step in. The ones responsible for this are seeking to erase important aspects of #Japanese culture, and those criminals do not deserve to remain in Japan." https://archive.is/CJFm3