Chinese man claims he defaced Tokyo shrine over Fukushima discharge

Jiang Zhuojun, a 29-year-old Chinese national living in Japan, pleaded guilty to charges of property damage and disrespecting a place of worship in Tokyo District Court on Friday.

Jiang, who was arrested in July, admitted to spray-painting the word “toilet” on a stone pillar at the Yasukuni Shrine on May 31, causing damage estimated at 4.6 million yen ($30,000). Prosecutors described Jiang as an accomplice who supported two other Chinese nationals, Dong Guangming and Xu Laiyu, by purchasing spray paint and driving them to the shrine.

In court, Jiang said his motive was not tied to historical issues, stating, “I was protesting against the discharge of treated radioactive water … I wanted to protect the ocean.”

Reports emerged last year of a Chinese government-backed disinformation campaign exaggerating the dangers of the Fukushima discharge, fueling public anger and leading to boycotts and harassment of Japanese businesses.

A video posted on Chinese social media also showed one of the men appearing to urinate on the pillar before vandalizing it. Dong and Xu, who both fled to China the following day, remain wanted in Japan.