Police in Japan are searching for suspects in the spray-painting of graffiti at a controversial war shrine

TOKYO — TOKYO (AP) — Japanese police are looking for suspects in the spray-painting of the word “toilet” on a Tokyo shrine commemorating the country’s war dead in an apparent protest against the ongoing release of radioactive treated wastewater from the nuclear from Fukushima. power plant, news reports said Monday.

The red graffiti, spray-painted on a stone pillar at the entrance to the Yasukuni Shrine, was discovered early Saturday morning. In a video posted on Chinese social media, a man who identified himself as Iron Head criticized the discharge of wastewater from the damaged nuclear plant into the ocean. Then, in another video shot at night, he is seen apparently urinating on the pole and then using a can of spray paint to write the word “toilet” in English.

Tokyo police are investigating two suspects, the person who appeared in the video and another who filmed the video, according to Japanese media, including public broadcaster NHK and Kyodo News agency. Police believe the incident happened late Friday after the shrine was closed and the perpetrator is believed to have already left Japan, they said.

The police refused to confirm the information.

The sewage spill from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant has been opposed by fishing groups and neighboring countries, particularly China, which imposed a ban on all Japanese seafood imports soon after the release began last August. The ban particularly affected Japanese clam growers and exporters to China.

Yasukuni Shrine honors approximately 2.5 million Japanese war dead, including convicted war criminals. Victims of Japanese aggression in the first half of the 20th century, particularly China and Korea, see the shrine as a symbol of Japanese militarism. Countries criticize Japanese lawmakers’ visits to the shrine as signs of their lack of remorse for Japan’s actions during the war.

The spray-painted graffiti was covered with a tarp over the weekend, but appeared to have been cleaned up by Monday.