What's happened
Steve Hayes, a 65-year-old American tourist, was arrested in Tokyo for allegedly vandalizing the Meiji Shrine by carving letters into a wooden pillar. This incident has raised concerns about unruly tourist behavior amid a surge in visitors to Japan.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to The Independent, Steve Hayes was arrested for allegedly carving letters into a wooden pillar at Meiji Shrine, which honors Emperor Meiji. This incident follows a series of similar acts of vandalism by tourists, raising concerns about the behavior of visitors in Japan. The South China Morning Post highlights that this is part of a broader trend of disrespect towards cultural sites, with locals increasingly frustrated by such actions. As Eric Fior, a long-term resident, noted, these incidents could lead to a perception that all foreigners are troublemakers, which could jeopardize the relationships many have built in Japan.
How we got here
Japan is experiencing a significant increase in tourism, aiming to attract 60 million visitors annually by 2030. However, this influx has led to rising incidents of vandalism and disrespect towards cultural sites, prompting backlash from locals.
More on these topics
-
Japan is an island country of East Asia in the northwest Pacific Ocean. It borders the Sea of Japan to the west and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south.
-
Yasukuni Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded by Emperor Meiji in June 1869 and commemorates those who died in service of Japan from the Boshin War of 1868–1869 through the First Indochina War of 1946–1954.
-
China, officially the People's Republic of China, is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population of around 1.4 billion in 2019.