Religious groups in Japan on Wednesday blasted Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's remark that people should recognize Japan as a divine nation with the Emperor at its core.
Kenichi Otsu, a senior official of the National Christian Council in Japan, said the remark could "knock the bottom out" of Japan's constitutionally protected political system.
Mori said at a meeting Monday of pro-Shinto Diet members: "Japan is a divine nation centering on the Emperor. We have been working for 30 years to have people firmly acknowledge that."