Small Blast Hits Tokyo War Shrine

An explosion hit the public toilets at the Yasukuni Shrine for the war dead in Tokyo on Monday. No injures were reported, but the ceiling and wall in a public bathroom near the shrine’s southern entrance were damaged, according to local media reports. The cause of the blast is still unclear. Tokyo police said batteries and wires were found at the scene of the explosion and said it may have been a deliberate attack on the shrine. Visitors were at the shrine for the Niinamesai Festival of First Fruits. The controversial monument honors Japan’s 2.4 million war dead, including Japan’s Class-A war criminals, and symbolizes the country’s military past.