In Tokyo, a 65-year-old American was arrested on suspicion of desecrating the sacred gates of the Meiji Jingu temple. This was reported by The Independent, according to UNN.
Details
Police said that the man used his fingernail to carve letters on a wooden torii pillar, a traditional gate that is part of the shrine complex. The detention took place after the man arrived in Japan with his family for sightseeing.
This incident was part of a broader problem of indecent behavior among tourists, which has arisen amid a record flow of foreign visitors.
In 2023, Japan received almost 27 million tourists, which significantly boosted the country's economy. However, the growing number of cases of vandalism, public drunkenness, and violations at shrines has prompted a discussion of new measures to control tourist behavior.
This is not the first case of this kind: earlier in Japan, there were incidents of graffiti on a column of the Yasukuni Shrine, which caused particular outrage because of its ties to the country's military past. The police said they were investigating the incidents and had detained several Chinese citizens suspected of committing vandalism.