TOKYO: An American arrested for defacing a sacred Tokyo shrine turned the newest instance of Japan’s wrestle to deal with misbehaving guests amid a growth in inbound tourism.
Japan welcomed almost 27 million guests by means of September, a document tempo, and their spending added 5.86 trillion yen (US$37.5 billion) to the financial system. However incidents of vandalism, public drunkenness, and “overtourism” at standard websites have sparked debate about learn how to deal with the flood of tourists and people who flout the principles.
Tokyo Metropolitan Police confirmed the arrest of a 65-year-old American on Wednesday (Nov 13) on suspicion of carving alphabetical characters into the pillar of a torii gate of the Meiji Jingu Shrine on Tuesday.
The suspect and his household arrived in Japan for sightseeing on Monday, the Jiji information service mentioned. Safety digital camera footage led police to arrest him at his lodge on suspicion of utilizing his fingernail to etch 5 letters representing household names into the picket pillar, Jiji mentioned.
US Embassy workers visited the American and are offering consular help, a spokesperson mentioned, declining to present additional particulars as a result of privateness considerations.