Amid reports that the suspect who spray-painted the word "toilet" in red at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, Japan, has left for China, the Japanese government expressed concerns to the Chinese government on the 4th regarding the incident.
Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko stated at a regular press conference on the same day, "This act is believed to violate relevant laws, and the spread of videos encouraging such behavior is also unacceptable. From this perspective, we have expressed our concerns to the Chinese government through diplomatic channels and have also requested that the Chinese government remind its citizens to comply with local laws and act calmly."
Earlier, on the 1st, a man spray-painted the English word "toilet" in red on a stone pillar at the entrance of Yasukuni Shrine and fled. On the same day, a video showing a man presumed to be Chinese spray-painting the stone pillar at Yasukuni Shrine in red was uploaded on Xiaohongshu, a Chinese social media platform.
Regarding this, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular briefing on the 3rd, "We want to emphasize that Yasukuni Shrine is a spiritual tool and symbol of Japan's militaristic external aggression wars," but also added, "At the same time, we must once again remind Chinese citizens abroad to comply with local laws and regulations and express their demands reasonably."
Yasukuni Shrine is a facility commemorating the spirits of those who died in the civil wars around the Meiji Restoration and wars initiated by Imperial Japan. It also enshrines 14 Class-A war criminals from the Pacific War. Yasukuni Shrine has experienced various incidents in the past, including graffiti and explosions.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
