A blast at Japan's controversial Yasukuni Shrine for the
war dead in Tokyo on Monday damaged the ceiling of a public toilet near an
entrance, but did not cause any injuries, police said.
The incident occurred while more than 100 people were
gathered at the shrine for a harvest ritual, marking Japan's Labor Thanksgiving
public holiday, but it did not interrupt their celebrations.
The Yaksukuni Shrine is regarded as a symbol of Japan's
past militarism and visits to the shrine by Japanese politicians have stoked
protests from China and South Korea, where memories of Japanese occupation and
colonialism before and during World War Two run deep.
The authorities have not said what caused the blast, but
police are investigating for any possible link to extremists, Japanese media
reported.
The blast left a 30-centimetre (12 inch) hole in the
ceiling of the mens washroom, public broadcaster NHK reported. Investigators
found batteries and wire, raising suspicions that they could have been part of
a detonator device, media said.
Police received the call at 10 a.m. (0100 GMT) from a
person who heard the explosion and saw smoke inside the washroom near the main
gate to the shrine, a police official told Reuters.
The official did not give further details.
Source: Reuters
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