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Japan's latest tourism headache: American held for defacing shrine

The Straits Times

|

November 16, 2024

TOKYO - An American who was arrested for defacing a sacred shrine in Tokyo is the latest example of Japan's struggle to cope with misbehaving visitors amid a boom in inbound tourism.

The country welcomed nearly 27 million visitors through September - a record pace - and their spending added 5.86 trillion yen (S$50 billion) to the economy.

But incidents of vandalism, public drunkenness and "overtourism" at popular sites have sparked debate on how to handle the flood of visitors and those who flout the rules.

Tokyo Metropolitan Police confirmed the arrest of the 65-year-old American on Nov 13 on suspicion of carving alphabetical characters into the pillar of a torii gate at Meiji Jingu Shrine on Nov 12.

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