Explosion hits controversial Tokyo war shrine, no injuries
A suspected explosive device damaged a
bathroom at Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine on
Monday, but no one at the controversial war
memorial was hurt, officials and news reports
said.
Police received reports of a loud bang
and smoke rising near the public
bathroom inside the shrine on Monday
morning, a spokesman said.
Public broadcaster NHK said the small
blast occurred as a larger-than-usual
number of people were visiting the
shrine for an annual harvest festival.
Police found the ceiling and wall of the
bathroom damaged and burned, NHK
said, adding that they also found a
battery and wire there.
A bomb unit attended the scene and
police have now launched an
investigation into whether the incident
was a targeted attack.
“Fortunately, no one was injured,” a
shrine official said, adding that it had
not received any threat in connection
with the explosion.
The incident came as Japanese
authorities were beefing up security in
the capital after the Paris attacks that
killed 130.
“I was a bit surprised as (terrorism) just
occurred in France,” a visitor to the
shrine told NHK.
A South Korean national was charged
two years ago for attempting to set fire
to the shrine, while a man was also
arrested in December for suspected
arson there, the broadcaster said.
The shrine honours millions of Japan’s
war dead, but also controversially
includes several senior military and
political figures convicted of war crimes.
Visits to the shrine by senior Japanese
politicians routinely draw an angry
reaction from Beijing and Seoul, which
see it as a symbol of Tokyo’s military
past.
An attached museum portrays Japan
more as a victim of US aggression in
WWII and makes scant reference to the
extreme brutality of invading Imperial
troops when they stormed through Asia.
In October, three state ministers from
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet
paid homage to mark the autumn
festival.
The nationalist Abe has visited the
shrine once during his time in office, in
December 2013. That sparked anger
among Japan’s neighbours and a
diplomatic slap on the wrist from the US,
which said it was “disappointed”.
Chinese social media users were quick to
laud the bomber.
“I don’t know who blew it up, but they
blew it up well,” read one comment on
micro-blogging site Sina Weibo, with
another adding: “You blew it up well.
That’s worthy of celebrating!”
Another user said: “If it were another
place, I’d say ‘don’t let it happen again’,
but it’s Yasukuni, so I just laughed.”
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