Japanese Police Investigate Explosion at Yasukuni Shrine

The public toilets at Tokyo’s controversial Yasukuni shrine have been hit by a small explosion.

In January 2013, a South Korean court ruled that a Chinese citizen who carried out an arson attack on the shrine could not be extradited to Japan as he had committed a “political crime” and might not get a fair trial.

A witness reported hearing an explosion at around 10 a.m. local time and then seeing smoking coming out of the bathroom, a Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department spokesman said.

It was unclear what caused the explosion, in which no one was injured. Footage on TV Asahi showed a bomb squad in protective gear entering the shrine premises. The person in charge of media at Yasukuni was out and not immediately available for comment.

In December 2013, a visit to the shrine by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe drew criticism, while conservative politicians in the country have been accused of repeatedly downgrading previous statements of apology for Japan’s war past. A few Japanese lawmakers have insisted on making official visits in the name of patriotism, while other lawmakers say such visits glorify Japan’s historical mistakes.

Emperor Akihito has not visited Yasukuni.

The incident occurred while more than 100 people were gathered at the shrine for a harvest ritual, marking Japan’s Labour Thanksgiving public holiday, but it did not interrupt their celebrations.

Many families and tourists visit Yasukuni.