Izumo Taisha Shrine in Hitachinokuni, "Sony Shrine Matters". Information to OHCHR Special Procedures and Public Announcement of Completion of Amano-Torishu Shrine

1. summary of the announcement

The Izumo Taisha Shrine of Hitachinokuni hereby announces the facts concerning the "Sony Shrine Incident," including the background to date, the status of inquiries to the parties concerned, and the information provided to the Special Procedures of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

In addition, as a milestone of the reconstruction and succession project, which has been carried out to keep the religious heritage alive, we are pleased to announce that the Amano-Torishu Shrine was successfully completed on May 7, 2026, and that a completion ceremony was held to celebrate the completion.

This release is intended to provide an explanation of the "Sony Shrine Incident" and a report on the results of the succession and reconstruction project that has been carried out in response to the incident, so as not to confuse them with each other. 2.

2. organization of the case (important)

The official name of this case is "Sony Shrine Incident. The "Sony Shrine Case" refers to a series of issues concerning the pledge, religious succession, removal and dismantling of shrine buildings, continuity of rituals, and the return of sacred objects related to the Sony Shrine that once existed.

On the other hand, the Amano-Torishu Shrine is not a "Sony Shrine Incident" itself. The Amano-Torishu Shrine is the culmination of a separate reconstruction and succession project that was undertaken to ensure that religious succession would not cease after the infringement of the pledge.

Therefore, this release clearly distinguishes between the "Sony Shrine Incident" and the "Amano-Torishu Shrine Completion" and describes the former as an explanation of the issue and the latter as a report of the results of the succession project.

3. overview of the Sony Shrine case

According to our arrangement, the Sony Shrine Incident mainly consists of the following elements.

Issues related to religious vows and ritual succession

The impact of the demolition and dismantling of the shrine on the continuity of the religious tradition

Issues related to the return of sacred objects

Public interest in terms of religious freedom and continuity of religious practice

Reference image 1: Former Sony Shrine

Exterior view of the former Sony Shrine

This image is a photo of the former Sony Shrine in relation to the Sony Shrine Incident. This is not a photo of the Amano Torihune Shrine. 4.

4. provision of information to the OHCHR Special Procedures

The Grand Shrine has provided information on this case to the Special Procedures of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

The OHCHR Special Procedures are a system of independent experts and others related to the UN Human Rights Council, and can include individual petitions, inquiries, contact with the parties, and organization of information.

Therefore, the provision of this information does not imply that the UN or the OHCHR has made a legal determination or a finding of illegality in this case.

The OHCHR will provide a careful explanation based on the data and background while avoiding definitive expressions. 5.

5) Inquiries to related parties

We have been confirming the facts and inquiring into the views of the parties involved in this matter.

As part of these inquiries, we made a written inquiry to Sony Group Inc. and requested a response by 5:00 p.m. on May 18, 2026.

As far as we have been able to confirm, no written response was received by the deadline.

Therefore, we have decided to make this matter public based on the data and background available to us at this time, as well as on the views of the Grand Shrine.

6. completion of the Amano-Torishu Shrine as a milestone in the project of succession and reconstruction

The Taisya has been promoting the reconstruction and succession project as a concrete effort to ensure that religious succession will not cease.

As a result, on May 7, 2026, the Amano-Torishu Shrine was successfully completed and a completion ceremony was held.

While the completion of the shrine is a separate project from the "Sony Shrine Project," it also marks a milestone in the successful completion of the project in the sense that the religious inheritance of the shrine has actually been passed on to the next generation.

Therefore, in this release, we would like to explain to the public where the problem lies by providing information to the OHCHR Special Procedures, and also report that the project for religious succession has come to fruition in reality.

Reference image 2: Amano-Torishu Shrine shrine building and banner

The shrine pavilion and banner banner of Amano-Torishu Shrine, photographed on May 7, 2026.

This image is a photograph of the completion of Amano-Torishu Shrine. This image is a photograph of the completion of Amano-Torishu Shrine and is not a subject of the Sony Shrine Incident.

Reference Image 3: Attendance at the completion ceremony

Attendance at the completion ceremony of the Amano-Torishu Shrine

This is a photograph of the ceremony and the attendance at the completion ceremony in the precincts of the shrine.

Reference image 4: Group photo taken after the completion ceremony.

Commemorative photo after the completion ceremony at Amano-Torishu Shrine

A group photo of the people involved in the completion ceremony. 7.

Purpose of this announcement

The purpose of this announcement is not to impress any particular conclusion, but to make the following points clear to the public.

The purpose of this announcement is not to impress upon the public any particular conclusion, but rather to clarify the following points

The fact that information was provided to the OHCHR Special Procedures

The status of the inquiries made to the parties concerned

The fact that the Amano-Torishu Shrine is a separate case and was completed on May 7, 2026

The fact that the succession and reconstruction project has reached a successful milestone.

Inquiry Response Policy

In principle, inquiries should be made by e-mail.

Please note that we may take some time to respond to inquiries due to the need for written confirmation.

When writing an article, please make a distinction between the "Sony Shrine Incident" and the "Amano-Torishu Shrine Completion". 8.

8. list of attached documents

Chronological list of the Sony Shrine Incident

A copy of the related inquiry document

Explanatory material regarding the provision of information to the OHCHR Special Procedures

Photograph of the former Sony Shrine (Reference Image 1)

Photographs of the completion of Amano-Torishu Shrine (reference images 2-4)

Video of the interview with the priest

https://youtu.be/FaUa4SvpQ-E

Outline of the Organization

Religious corporation: Tokorikuni Izumo-taisha Shrine

Location : 2006 Fukuhara, Kasama, Ibaraki 309-1634

URL : http://www.izumotaisha.or.jp/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/galleryohrin/