The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Public Security Department (National Security Department) recently arrested a Chinese national suspected of participating in the graffiti incident at the Yasukuni Shrine in Japan. Arrest warrants have also been issued for the other two suspects who have already returned to China. This action has sparked strong reactions among the Japanese public, demanding severe punishment. Experts have pointed out that a series of anti-Japan incidents in recent times are the result of the Chinese Communist Party’s “hatred education.”
On July 9th, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Public Security Department arrested Jiang Zhuojun (29 years old), a Chinese man residing in Saitama Prefecture, on charges of damaging property and desecrating a place of worship by allegedly participating in graffiti on a pillar at the Yasukuni Shrine. Arrest warrants have also been issued for the other two Chinese suspects, Dong Guangming (36 years old) and Xu Laiyu (25 years old), who have since returned to China.
On the night of May 31st at 9:55, the suspect Dong Guangming, also known as “Tie Tou,” was seen urinating on the pillar at the entrance of the Yasukuni Shrine with the words “Yasukuni Shrine” written on it, and spray-painting “Toilet” in red. It is suspected that Xu Laiyu, who was taking photos, captured this act, which was later uploaded to Chinese social media.
After committing the act, Dong Guangming and Xu Laiyu returned to China in the early hours of June 1st.
Jiang Zhuojun, who was arrested, is suspected to be an accomplice in this incident, acting together with the other two suspects and purchasing spray paint pens. The police are currently investigating his relationship with the other two suspects.
The Japanese media, including Kyodo News Agency, NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), and major newspapers like Yomiuri Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun, Sankei Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun, and Nikkei, along with many television stations and newspapers, have promptly reported on this incident. Several media outlets have conducted follow-up and continuous coverage.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa stated at a press conference on June 4th that such acts violate Japanese laws, and producing and disseminating videos endorsing and encouraging such behavior is unacceptable. Japan has expressed concerns to China through diplomatic channels regarding this incident and has urged China to advise its citizens to abide by local laws and act rationally.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on June 3rd emphasized that the Yasukuni Shrine is a tool and symbol of Japanese militarism, and Japan should reflect on its history of invasion. The spokesperson also reminded Chinese citizens to express their demands rationally.
According to NHK, during a press conference at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 10th, when asked if China would assist in the case of Japan’s arrest warrants for two suspects, the spokesperson did not provide a direct answer but mentioned that the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo had met with Japanese officials, requesting a fair and just investigation by Japan and reminding Chinese citizens to express their demands rationally.
However, the information related to this matter was not explicitly mentioned in the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs press conference on the 10th.
Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) interviewed the main suspect “Tie Tou” in China, where he stated that he would not surrender, has no regrets, and is not afraid. He admitted to the act and claimed it was to protest Japan’s discharge of treated nuclear water. He further mentioned that he would protest in Japan if Japan violates the significant interests of the Chinese people. Regarding Jiang Zhuojun, he mentioned that he knew him as a Japanese guide online but did not inform him about the graffiti incident.
The handling of the arrested suspects in Japan, the treatment of the two suspects who have returned to China, and China’s response have become focal points of public attention and discussion.
Targeting the Yasukuni Shrine is not a new phenomenon for Chinese individuals. In 2001, a Chinese person in Japan, Feng Jinhua, sprayed the words “damn” on the guardian dog god seat at the southern gate of the Yasukuni Shrine, resulting in a 10-month detention sentence.
In December 2011, a Chinese individual, Liu Rong, set fire to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo and later threw Molotov cocktails at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul in January 2012. He was subsequently arrested in South Korea and served a sentence until November.
On the online versions of Japanese media, each news page includes links to social media platforms like Facebook for readers to share, comment, and provide feedback. The level of reader engagement and feedback on the news can be gauged from the shares and comments, reflecting reader interest and perspectives.
Similar to previous incidents of graffiti and urination at the Yasukuni Shrine, the news of the arrest of the suspects has also generated significant reactions among the Japanese public.
After reading a relevant news report in Yomiuri Shimbun, a reader on X platform expressed surprise at the arrest of the suspects who had fled back to China and questioned the key details not being disclosed in the report. This comment received over 13,000 likes.
Others commented that the intervention of the Public Security Department indicated a decisive response, and the mobilization of law enforcement was due to provoking the anger of all Japanese people.
The discussions emphasized that the act was a deliberate crime after understanding the significance of the Yasukuni Shrine and stressed the importance of strict punishment. Some also pondered on the hypothetical scenario of Japanese people defacing the statue of Mao on Tiananmen Square and the potential consequences.
The focus of discussion among Japanese netizens on the targeting of the Yasukuni Shrine by the suspects has led to widespread anger, with many emphasizing the need for severe punishment for those involved.
Discussions on the nature of the incident and the desire for strict punishment for the involved individuals were prevalent, with concerns raised about the leniency of Japanese laws towards foreigners, which might result in minor penalties or delayed prosecution. People expressed the hope of sending a clear message to China (the CCP) through stringent punishment.
Some netizens pointed out that in the past, both Chinese and Japanese people received similar moral education but attributed the disregard for morality to the education by the Chinese Communist Party.
The book “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party” highlights that the Communist Party aims to break traditional moral values as one of its goals in the struggle for power, fundamentally altering people’s morals and society.
China’s patriotism education law, implemented on January 1, 2024, signifies the legal codification of the Communist Party’s promotion of patriotism, aiming to more effectively control the thoughts and behaviors of the Chinese populace.
In a related report, Yomiuri Shimbun mentioned that after the Tiananmen Square incident, Jiang Zemin emphasized patriotism education based on the Communist Party’s role in the so-called anti-Japanese war to promote patriotism, leading to a rise in anti-Japanese sentiment among the public and affecting Sino-Japanese relations.
Post the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, many Chinese individuals lost trust in the Communist Party, abandoning communist ideals. To maintain its rule, the Party shifted its tactics, intensifying patriotic education efforts.
The enactment of China’s patriotism education law under the Xi Jinping regime continues some of the patriotism education content from the Jiang Zemin era, focusing on enhancing people’s sense of “patriotism” and “loyalty to the Party” through Xi Jinping’s ideology.
Professor Tomoko Ako of the University of Tokyo recently wrote that since May in Japan, there have been consecutive incidents at the Yasukuni Shrine and a “anti-Japan” incident where a Chinese student threatened to kill kindergarten children with a dagger.
Moreover, in Suzhou, China, there was an attack targeting Japanese individuals on June 24, resulting in the death of a Chinese person and injuries to two Japanese individuals. Another incident occurred in Suzhou in April where a Japanese man was stabbed in the neck by an unknown Chinese individual.
Ako pointed out that many hateful Chinese individuals are influenced by the Communist Party’s “hatred education,” which leads people to believe that “all the suffering in modern China is caused by foreign enemies.”
The article highlighted that the common characteristics shared by these individuals are “disrespectful, violent, and barbaric.” Unfortunately, such hate-driven individuals may not be the first or last, indicating a potential for more similar incidents in the future.
The “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party” notes that to maintain its rule, the Communist Party must incite hatred among the people, and in its absence, it will manufacture hatred. The Party elevates ordinary social issues to the heights of “fighting for the Party,” “the Party’s extinction is the country’s extinction,” “turmoil,” and “hostile forces,” using political campaign-style propaganda to incite people’s hateful emotions.