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 shrine Inari shrine Inari is a popular deity with shrines and Buddhist temples located throughout most of Japan. According to a 2007 report from Kokugakuin University, 2970 shrines are dedicated to Inari. This number includes only Shinto shrines that are registered as religious corporations and part of the Association of Shinto Shrines; if small roadside or field shrines, shrines kept in a home or corporate office, and Buddhist temples were included, the number might increase by an order of magnitude. The entrance to an Inari shrine is usually marked by one or more vermilion torii and some statues of "kitsune", which