On November 29, 2024, the Tokyo District Court held the first public trial of Jiang Zhuojun, a Chinese national, for defacing a pillar at the controversial Yasukuni Shrine with graffiti. Jiang Zhuojun admitted to the charges.
According to a report by Kyodo News on November 29, the Tokyo District Court conducted the initial trial of Jiang Zhuojun, a 29-year-old Chinese unemployed man, who was accused of “property damage” and “disrespect to a place of worship” for vandalizing a pillar at the Yasukuni Shrine.
During the opening statement, the prosecution pointed out that the defendant, in collusion with Chinese video bloggers for anti-Japanese activities, drove accomplices to the Yasukuni Shrine, purchased spray paint for graffiti, and actively participated in the defacement.
Jiang Zhuojun, who has been in Japan for over a decade, answered questions from the lawyers and prosecutors in Japanese and acknowledged the charges brought against him.
The indictment revealed that on May 31, Jiang Zhuojun and other Chinese men sprayed red paint on a pillar at the shrine, writing the word “Toilet” in graffiti.
In July, Tokyo police arrested Jiang Zhuojun and obtained arrest warrants for two other Chinese men suspected of involvement in the vandalism, who have since left Japan.
The incident involving Jiang Zhuojun spraying graffiti at Yasukuni Shrine was believed to have been captured on camera by Xu Laiyu, who then uploaded the footage to social media platforms in China.
On July 9, the Public Security Department of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested Jiang Zhuojun for his alleged role in the graffiti incident, along with the other two suspects Dong Guangming and Xu Laiyu, who are also wanted.
Dong Guangming and Xu Laiyu fled back to China after the vandalism on June 1. Jiang Zhuojun, as a co-conspirator, acted in unison with the other suspects and procured the spray paint.
This incident sparked significant outrage among the Japanese public.
After reading a related report in the prominent newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, readers posted nearly two thousand comments on a social media platform.
Some readers expressed surprise at the suspects fleeing back to China after their arrests and questioned the lack of key details in the reports. One comment received over 13,000 “likes.”
Others mentioned that the strong response by the Public Security Department indicated serious repercussions for the perpetrators, reflecting the anger of the entire Japanese population.
The Japanese Public Security Department, responsible for national security, took charge of the case, highlighting the gravity with which Japan views the incident.
Professor Tomoko Ako of the University of Tokyo previously wrote that since May of this year, there have been incidents of graffiti at Yasukuni Shrine and a Chinese student threatening to kill kindergarten children with a knife in anti-Japanese episodes.
Ako pointed out that the prevalence of hate-filled actions by Chinese individuals is closely linked to the “hate education” promoted by the Chinese Communist Party, fostering a belief that “all of China’s modern struggles are the result of external enemies.”