A Chinese man, who had been sought by Japanese police for defacing the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo with spray paint, has reportedly returned to China. The man claimed his actions were a protest against the discharge of contaminated water from Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and hinted at further actions.
According to Kyodo News and Fuji TV, on June 3, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department confirmed that the suspected Chinese man had already left Japan and returned to his home country.
The suspect is accused of vandalizing a stone pillar at the entrance of the Yasukuni Shrine by writing the word “toilet” in red spray paint on June 1.
On the day the graffiti was discovered, a video circulating on the Chinese social media Xiaohongshu showed a man defacing a pillar at the Yasukuni Shrine and seemingly urinating on it.
Japanese police identified the man as the suspect and pursued him. However, when the incident was exposed, it was revealed that the man had already left for Shanghai, China.
The man claimed during his livestream that his actions were a protest against Japan’s discharge of contaminated water into the ocean. In his stream, he said, “The Japanese government is releasing contaminated water, can’t we do anything about it? No? I will show them what I can do.”
In another video, the man announced, “I have already returned home safely. I arrived at Shanghai Airport at 5:20 AM on June 1.” He also hinted at further actions, saying, “I said I would do two more things in Japan. Don’t rush to find me; otherwise, I will do the other thing.”
Meanwhile, evidence of another individual’s involvement in the incident was also discovered. The Fuji News Network (FNN), an affiliate of the Sankei Shimbun, reported, “The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the fact that the suspect was captured on a security camera near the entrance (of the Yasukuni Shrine) with another man around 10 PM on May 31.”
In response to the controversy, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying emphasized, “What I want to stress is that the Yasukuni Shrine is a spiritual tool and symbol of Japanese militarism’s wars of aggression.”
The Yasukuni Shrine is a facility that commemorates over 2.46 million people who died in Japan’s imperialistic invasions and the Pacific War. The shrine also enshrines the spirits of Class A war criminals from World War II.
Hua added, “Japan should face and reflect on its history of aggression, and it should earn the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community through actions that sincerely uphold its statements and promises.” She also reminded Chinese citizens abroad to “comply with local laws and express their demands rationally.”
