Chinese man arrested over fire at Japan's Yasukuni war shrine: Report
TOKYO: A Chinese man suspected of starting a fire inside a Tokyo war shrine at the centre of rows with Japan's Asian neighbours was arrested by police yesterday, reports said.
The man, 55, allegedly set fire to a pile of newspapers inside the grounds of the Yasukuni Shrine, which honours 2.5 million war dead but also enshrines top World War II criminals.
Jiji Press agency and public broadcaster NHK both reported the arrest and said the fire was quickly extinguished, with no reports of any damage or injuries.
The man was arrested on suspicion of trespassing, reports said.
A spokesman for the shrine acknowledged the incident while avoiding further comment as "police are investigating".
A Tokyo police spokesman declined to confirm the report.
Bystanders reportedly said the man had been holding a banner protesting against the 1937 Nanjing massacre.
China says 300,000 people died in a six-week spree of killing, rape and destruction by the Japanese military that began in December that year after invading troops seized the city of Nanjing. - AFP
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