Yasukuni

Consistency? We don't need no stinkin' consistency! The court battle over Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni Shrine, previously mentioned here, continued Thursday, as an Osaka district court found that those visits were not made in an official capacity, despite signing the register as "Prime Minister Koizumi" and traveling with an official entourage. No judgment was made on whether the visits were constitutional, though.

Relatedly, from the article linked above, PM Koizumi showed just how much respect rule of law virtues qua rule of law virtues have in Japan, as he expressed no desire to appeal the Fukuoka action, since he didn't have to pay any damages, even though it found his visit was unconstitutional. Readers are invited to suggest any U.S. political figures who have acted in a similar manner.