TOKYO: An American arrested for defacing a sacred Tokyo shrine turned the most recent instance of Japan’s wrestle to deal with misbehaving guests amid a growth in inbound tourism.
Japan welcomed practically 27 million guests by means of September, a report 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 well-liked websites have sparked debate about how one can deal with the flood of holiday makers 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 digicam footage led police to arrest him at his lodge on suspicion of utilizing his fingernail to etch 5 letters representing household names into the wood pillar, Jiji mentioned.
US Embassy workers visited the American and are offering consular help, a spokesperson mentioned, declining to provide additional particulars attributable to privateness considerations.
