News Chinese citizen arrested over Yasukuni vandalism

But the 36-year-old man suspected of spray-painting the graffiti and his alleged 25-year-old accomplice who recorded the act on video are now back in China, police said. Police said the 29-year-old suspect, who lives in Asaka, Saitama Prefecture, and whose occupation is unknown, apparently purchased the spray can used in the act of vandalism. They made no mention of whether the suspect had admitted to wrongdoing. Video footage posted on social media shows a man spray-painting the pillar with graffiti near the entrance to the Shinto shrine, a site of major controversy because it memorializes 14 Class-A war criminals in addition to honoring Japan's war dead.

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Jiang Zhuojun, 29, was indicted on charges of damaging property and disrespecting a place of worship after allegedly vandalizing the pillar by spray-painting the English word in red on it on 31 May, prosecutors said. The damage is estimated at 4.6 million yen ($30,000). The two other Chinese, Dong Guangming, 36, and Xu Laiyu, 25, left Japan the following day, according to the police. They were placed on wanted lists on 9 July when Jiang was arrested. Japan has diplomatically expressed its concerns about the incident to the Chinese government.

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