Police arrest US man for allegedly scratching letters into Japanese shrine

65-year-old man allegedly told constabulary he defaced Shinto shrine arsenic a ‘prank’.

Japanese constabulary person arrested a 65-year-old American tourer for allegedly defacing a Tokyo shrine.

The man, identified arsenic Steve Hayes, is accused of utilizing his fingernails to scratch 5 letters into a torii gross astatine nan Meiji Jingu shrine connected Tuesday morning.

Hayes said he was penning nan sanction of a family personnel into nan gross – which represents nan separator betwixt nan surviving and ineffable worlds successful nan Shinto belief – arsenic a prank, according to nan police.

Staff astatine nan Meiji Jingu shrine, constructed successful 1920 to honour nan spirits of Emperor Meiji and his woman Empress Shoken, discovered nan harm nan aforesaid time and alerted police, who arrested Hayes connected Wednesday.

It was not instantly clear really they identified Hayes, who authorities opportunity arrived successful Japan pinch his family connected Monday, nor what charges he could face.

The Meiji Jingu shrine was constructed successful 1920 to honour nan spirits of Emperor Meiji and his woman Empress Shoken [Sebastian Kahnert/picture confederation via Getty Images]

It is nan 2nd specified incident astatine a shrine successful nan Japanese superior this week.

On Monday, constabulary said they were investigating aft nan kanji characteristic for “death” was graffitied connected 2 spots of a chromatic wall astatine Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine honouring Japan’s warfare dead.

The announcement followed 2 different defacement incidents astatine nan aforesaid shrine – which has been a root of negotiated clash pinch China and different Asian countries owed to its commemoration of Japan’s World War II leaders – successful caller months.

In June, nan connection “toilet” was recovered spray-painted successful reddish connected a chromatic pillar astatine nan shrine, while footage circulated connected societal media of a man urinating connected nan monument.

A Chinese man surviving successful Japan was charged pinch spot harm and desecration of a spot of believe successful July, while 2 different Chinese men person been put connected wanted lists.

In August, Chinese characters and immoderate letters from nan Latin alphabet were besides written connected nan shrine pinch a achromatic felt-tip pen, constabulary said.

Japan welcomed a grounds 17.78 cardinal overseas visitors successful nan first half of this year, pinch nan anemic yen helping to propel tourer numbers supra pre-pandemic levels.

The influx of visitors has delivered a boost to Japan’s economy, but besides prompted grumbles from immoderate locals fed up pinch mediocre behaviour and breaches of taste etiquette by visitors.

Source

:

Al Jazeera and news agencies