China urged Japan to ensure a fair investigation and protect the rights of Chinese citizens after Tokyo police arrested a Chinese national for allegedly vandalizing the Yasukuni Shrine.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian yesterday confirmed that consular officials have accessed the detained individual and reminded Chinese citizens abroad to respect local laws and express their views rationally.
Jiang Zhuojun, 29, who lives north of Tokyo, was arrested “on suspicion of vandalism and disrespect for a place of worship,” a Tokyo metropolitan police spokesman told AFP. Police have also issued arrest warrants for two other Chinese men, Dong Guangming, 36, and Xu Laiyu, 25, who are believed to have left the country.
Ti Gong
A screenshot of the video where Dong writes the word “toilet” on the stone pillar of the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.
Jiang, along with Dong, allegedly spray-painted the word “toilet” in red on a shrine pillar on May 31 while Xu filmed them. A video posted on Chinese social media showed a man appearing to urinate on the stone pillar before spray-painting it, local media reported. Police have confirmed seeing the video.
The Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo honors 2.5 million people, mostly Japanese, who died in wars since the late 19th century, including convicted war criminals. This shrine has long angered other Asian nations.
It also includes a museum that portrays Japan as a victim of US aggression in WWII and makes scant reference to the extreme brutality of Imperial troops during their invasions of Asia. Government ministers regularly pay homage at Yasukuni, infuriating China, South Korea, and others countries in the region.
