Arctic policy of the European Union in 1973 and Sweden and Finland in 1995). The European Union's application to become a “permanent observer” in the Arctic Council was blocked in 2009 by Canada in response to the European Union's ban on the importation of seal products. The Arctic is an area of growing strategic importance. The European Union supports the successful Arctic co-operation and in helping to meet the challenges that now confront the region. The European Union is the world's strongest proponent of greater international efforts to fight climate change. It has three (and if the accession of Iceland to the European Union occurs, potentially
Inari Ōkami Buddhism may have begun in the 8th century, when Shingon Buddhist monk and founder, Kūkai, took over administration of the temple of Tōji, and chose Inari as a protector of the temple. Thus, Inari is still closely associated with Shingon Buddhism to this day. Inari is often venerated as a collective of three deities ("Inari sanza"); since the Kamakura period, this number has sometimes increased to five "kami" ("Inari goza"). However, the identification of these "kami" has varied over time. According to records of Fushimi Inari, the oldest and perhaps most prominent Inari shrine, these "kami" have included Izanagi, Izanami,