Assassin's Creed Shadows debate somehow reaches Japanese government ministries, who reportedly remind everyone that historical fiction isn't really their concern at all

Jul. 24, 2024

No, the Japanese government isn’t investigating Ubisoft’s game

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

Contrary to online speculation and reports,Assassin’s Creed Shadowsis not the subject of heated debate among the Japanese government.

Sankeireports that NHK Party representative Satoshi Hamada formally asked Japanese government ministries to comment on Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Hamada reportedly cited concerns over historical inaccuracies featured in the newUbisoftgame.

Responding, the Japanese foreign ministry said it simply wasn’t their concern, while the education ministry offered a boilerplate response to Hamada, saying that a game shouldn’t violate “public order and morals.” The education ministry statement further read that “careful handling is required if there are suspicions of content that violates public order and morals.”

While some considered the exchange a big deal, Kanda University of International Studies lecturer Jeffrey J. Hall points out onTwitterthat questions like Hamada’s are more often performative than not. What’s more, the NHK Party is so small it’s virtually insignificant in the grand scheme of Japanese politics - the group’s status as a political party was revoked earlier this year in January when the Otsu wing of the National Diet expelled two members.

Therefore, the Japanese education ministry likely isn’t investigating Assassin’s Creed Shadows anytime soon because it simply has no precedent for doing so, while the wider Japanese government has shown no interest whatsoever in entertaining Representative Hadama’s questions.

Ubisoft just recently apologized for causing concern among Assassin’s Creed Shadows' Japanese fans, writing that the game was continually evolving to perfect inaccuracies like flags and architecture up until launch. It also wrote that whether protagonist Yasuke was a samurai was open to debate, despite multiple Japanese scholars insisting that he very much was a samurai.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

Assassin’s Creed Shadows romance will boast “more developed relationships” for Naoe and Yasuke, says Ubisoft lead.

Now that Assassin’s Creed Syndicate has 60fps, are you ready to admit that it’s one of the best AC games ever?

Ubisoft kills “inaccurate rumors” around Assassin’s Creed Animus Hub: rewards are “entirely free,” no paid sub or battle pass, and “no extra cost” to missions

A month after approving free versions of Unreal games that “started it all,” Fortnite creator Epic shouts out a group of fan devs “for their continued support in keeping the legacy alive”