Graffiti at Yasukuni Shrine Reignites Tensions Over Japan’s Unresolved Wartime Legacy

Last week, the kanji character for “death” was found carved into two spots on a stone wall outside Yasukuni Shrine. An elementary school student walking home in Chiyoda ward noticed the markings and alerted a nearby police officer. Investigators revealed that the graffiti had been scratched into the stone using a sharp object. Shrine staff promptly removed the carvings, but the symbolic weight of the act lingers, highlighting ongoing tensions surrounding the controversial shrine.   It’s not the first time this year that Yasukuni has been targeted. In May, the word “toilet” was spray-painted in red on a stone pillar bearing the shrine’s name. The incident was recorded and uploaded. Police subsequently put out an arrest warrant for the Chinese national in the video. Two other Chinese nationals were also placed on wanted lists.  In August, graffiti featuring Chinese characters and Latin alphabet letters, including the word “toilet” in Chinese, was discovered on the same stone pillar. The most recent incident was in a different location, but the target was the same. Japanese authorities have launched an investigation. Property damage, including acts of vandalism at sacred sites, carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison or a fine of ￥300,000. ...