The Emperor himself has not played a prominent role in the Yasukuni controversy. Before World War II he was very active in visiting the Shrine to promote nationalism on behalf of the State. But after the war the Emperor very rarely visited the Shrine. In fact no Emperor has visited the Shrine at all since 1977. For this reason it is hard to determine where the Emperor stands on the issue of the Shrine. Given the fact that in the past the Emperor was an avid supporter of the Shrine, it is reasonable to assume that the Emperor still supports the Shrine personally. But he may be bowing to public pressure over the legality of the Shrine. State officials already have enough of a problem defending the Shrine when Prime Ministers visit it. If an Emperor were to visit the Shrine in this time of turmoil, it would likely add fuel to the fire.