The answer must be sought, I think, in the traditional nature of Japanese emperor worship.

This form of devotion toward a living man has also been pointed to as a precedent for so-called "emperor worship" in the Imperial era.

The establishment of provincial centers of emperor worship further spawned local cults.

The teachers' union, among other groups, holds that such activities are a reminder of the days when emperor worship was used to justify Japanese war aggression.

Based on emperor worship, it gave religious justification to totalitarianism and promoted nationalism.

The practice of emperor worship was further spread by distributing imperial portraits for esoteric veneration.

Rome promulgated the practice of emperor worship; in Medieval Europe, monarchs claimed to have a divine right to rule.

On Wednesday, more than 100 students blocked the main gate of Kyoto University, warning against a return to the days of emperor worship.

Nero and Caligula "abandoned all reserve" in promoting emperor worship - they were the only two who demanded divine honors while still alive.

Centralized administrative bureaucracy helped create the conditions for the emergence of absolute rulers such as the Caesars which, in turn, led to emperor worship.