Overview
- Tokyo police arrested 64-year-old Park Sang-kyu on suspicion of obstruction of business after shrine staff stopped him for displaying banners during the spring festival on Wednesday.
- The banners, written in Japanese, declared “Dokdo is our territory” and “Tsushima is our territory” and called for an end to visits to Yasukuni by “war criminals,” according to police reports.
- The incident unfolded around 11 a.m. near the shrine’s main gate, and local reports say one banner was displayed in front of the car carrying the emperor’s envoy.
- Police said Park admitted the act, telling officers he “did what he wanted,” and he remains in custody as investigators examine his motive and note he arrived in Japan on April 20.
- As background, Yasukuni enshrines Japan’s war dead, including Class-A war leaders, and ceremonies there often draw protests tied to long-running disputes such as the Takeshima/Dokdo issue.