Austrian National Arrested for Having Sex in Japanese Shrine
A 61-year-old Austrian man was arrested last month for engaging in sexual activity within a shrine in Kesennuma, a coastal town north of Tokyo, CNN reports.
The incident occurred on August 22.
The man, who was arrested alongside a Japanese woman in her 40s, was charged with disrespecting a place of worship. Police detained the man due to concerns about him being a flight risk but did not arrest the woman. The man has since been released from custody, but the details of his punishment remain undisclosed.
While this case is considered rare, incidents of individuals being arrested for disrespecting Japanese shrines have occurred previously.
Last year, a 17-year-old Canadian was questioned for scratching his name into a wooden pillar at a UNESCO-listed temple in Nara. The boy admitted to the act, stating that it was not intended to harm Japanese culture.
In 2010, renowned photographer Kishin Shinoyama faced charges of public indecency and disrespect for a religious site after allegedly taking nude photographs at a public cemetery.
