Julia Christine Botin

China deports Japanese tourists over Great Wall buttocks pic: reports

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1741928910635New Project.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">This aerial picture taken on on May 17, 2019 shows the Great Wall in Xiangshuihu, in Huairou District, on the outskirts of Beijing. Agence France-Presse</span></span></span></div><p>TOKYO — Two Japanese tourists in their 20s were detained for two weeks in China then deported for taking photos showing exposed buttocks at the Great Wall, local media reported.</p><p>The incident at the World Heritage site near Beijing concerned a man who showed his bottom and a woman who took photos, NTV and other Japanese media outlets reported on Thursday.</p><p>Tokyo&#x27;s foreign ministry said Friday that &quot;the Embassy of Japan in China confirmed on January 3 that two Japanese nationals were detained by local authorities at the Great Wall.&quot;</p><p>They &quot;were subsequently released and returned to Japan during January&quot;, it said in a statement.</p><p>The Japanese embassy in Beijing did not reply to requests for comment.</p><p>The tourists were detained on the spot by security guards and held for around two weeks, the reports said, citing sources.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/overseas/06/28/19/mules-tools-and-old-bricks-rebuilding-chinas-great-wall">Mules, tools and old bricks: Rebuilding China&#x27;s Great Wall<br/></a></div><p>Exposing the lower half of the body in a public place is against the law in China, according to the reports.</p><p>The tourists reportedly told the Japanese embassy they did it as a prank.</p><p>The reports sparked outrage in China, where memories of atrocities committed during Japan&#x27;s colonial occupation of the country in the 1930s and 40s still inspire strong feelings.</p><p>A hashtag translating to &quot;Japanese man and woman detained for indecent behaviour at the Great Wall&quot; had been viewed over 60 million times on social media platform Weibo by Friday morning.</p><p>Many top-liked comments blasted the tourists for the act, with some using hateful language toward Japanese people.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/classified-odd/01/10/24/us-livestreamer-fined-for-playing-loud-music-in-osaka-restaurant">US livestreamer fined for playing loud music in Osaka restaurant<br/></a></div><p>One comment by Chinese actor Chen Yitian, who has over 7 million followers on the platform, condemned them for doing &quot;shameful things on my Great Wall&quot;.</p><p>Others suggested China ban all Japanese visitors.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>The incident at the World Heritage site near Beijing concerned a man who showed his bottom and a woman who took photos, NTV and other Japanese media outlets reported on Thursday.</p>

The incident at the World Heritage site near Beijing concerned a man who showed his bottom and a woman who took photos, NTV and other Japanese media outlets reported on Thursday.