Society

Yasukuni Vandal Left Japan on Day of Incident, Police Say

TOKYO, Aug 23 (News On Japan) - The person suspected of being involved in the vandalism of a stone pillar at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine on August 19, left Japan for China on the day the graffiti was found.

The incident occurred before 4 a.m. when graffiti was discovered on six locations, including a stone pillar near the torii gate at Yasukuni Shrine in Chiyoda Ward. The graffiti, written with what appeared to be a black marker, included Chinese characters meaning 'toilet.'

According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, security cameras at the shrine captured footage of a suspicious person climbing the base of the stone pillar around 10 p.m. on August 18th. Subsequent investigations revealed that this individual left Japan for China on August 19th. The person had reportedly been in Japan for a few days before the incident.

Additionally, after the incident, photos of the graffiti and selfies taken with Yasukuni Shrine in the background were posted on Chinese social media.

In a related case in May of this year, the same stone pillar at Yasukuni Shrine was also defaced. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is conducting a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding these acts of vandalism, treating them as cases of property damage.

Source: TBS

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