A Canadian teenager stands accused of vandalizing the 1,200-year-old Toshodaiji Kondo temple in Japan. This temple holds the prestigious designation of being a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If found guilty, the teenager could face up to five years of imprisonment.
This incident comes shortly after a similar one in Italy, where a tourist carved “Ivan+Haley 23” into the wall of the Colosseum.
A Canadian teenager is facing accusations of defacing a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a historic Japanese temple. This incident parallels a recent occurrence at the Colosseum in Rome, Italy.
According to BBC News, the 17-year-old used his fingernail to carve “Julian” into a wooden pillar of the Toshodaiji Kondo temple. The temple, founded in 759 AD, is one of eight protected historic monuments in Nara, Japan.
The teenager allegedly made the carving on the temple’s “Golden Hall,” as reported by The Mainichi, a Japanese newspaper.
CNN states that a Japanese tourist witnessed the teenager carving his name on July 7 and told him to stop before alerting temple staff. The police then questioned the teenager the following day on suspicion of violating Japan’s cultural property protection law, according to BBC News.
A police official informed CNN that the teenager admitted to the actions but claimed it was not his intention to harm Japanese culture. The teenager is currently with his parents, who were present during the incident.
Under Japanese law for the protection of cultural property, damaging an object of “important cultural property” can result in up to five years in prison or a fine of 300,000 Japanese Yen ($2,135).
If found to have broken the law, the teenager will be referred to prosecutors, as stated by the police official to CNN.
A monk at the temple expressed disappointment and sadness over the incident, even if it was done unintentionally, according to The Mainichi. Insider’s attempts to reach the temple for comment were unsuccessful.
This defacement at the Japanese temple follows a similar incident in Italy, where a tourist carved “Ivan+Haley 23” into the nearly 2,000-year-old Colosseum in Rome. The individual responsible may face fines of up to $16,000 and five years in jail.
In an apology letter reported by Insider, the responsible tourist claimed to be unaware of the age and seriousness of the monument they defaced.
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