Citizens' groups gathered Wednesday to protest or express support for National Founding Day, the most controversial of Japan's annual holidays.
The holiday, a resurrected version of Kigensetsu, was an invention of the Meiji government to commemorate the ascension of Jimmu, the nation's legendary first Emperor, in 660 B.C. Meiji rulers hoped Kigensetsu would lend credibility to their regime and inspire patriotism nationwide.
Kigensetsu was abolished in 1948 because of its association with the emperor system and the excesses of nationalism before and during World War II, but it returned in 1966 as National Founding Day. At a gathering at Hibiya Kokaido Hall in Tokyo, Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto called National Founding Day a meaningful holiday in which Japanese offer thanks to their ancestors for laying the groundwork for national development and pray for Japan's future.
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