Recorded as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Japan, an old Buddhist temple had been defaced by a 17-year-old Canadian teen.
A Japanese tourist reported the tourist as he carved his name, “Julian,” on a pillar in the Toshodaiji Kondo temple in Nara, Japan. After failing to stop the teen, the tourist then proceeded to notify temple staff of the incident. Nearby police brought the boy in for questioning the next day.
A police official revealed that the boy carved ‘Julian’ on one of the pillars that supported the roof “about 170 centimeters above the ground with his nail.” Although he admitted his deed and refutes that it was done without the intention of damaging Japanese culture, the teen will be referred to prosecutors if he is confirmed guilty of disobeying the Law for Protection of Cultural Properties.
A fine of 300,000 Japanese yen (approximately $2,137) or a prison sentence of up to five years is sanctioned to an individual who causes destruction to an “important cultural property.”
The Toshodaiji Kondo temple in Nara was founded by Chinese monk Jianzhen and built in the 8th century. It is one of the eight Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998.
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