Doctor Gets Suspended Term for Damaging Historic Buildings

Chiba, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)--Chiba District Court on Thursday sentenced a 63-year-old doctor to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years, for damaging historic buildings in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, in 2015.

According to the ruling, Masahide Kanayama splashed oil on buildings at Katori Jingu, a Shinto shrine in the city of Katori, and Naritasan Shinshoji Temple in the city of Narita on March 25, 2015.

In handing down the sentence, Judge Yoko Sugiyama said the buildings carried significant historical and cultural value and that the damage was difficult to repair.

The judge said that Kanayama deserved "strong condemnation" for putting his religious beliefs ahead of the law when he committed the offense.

During the trial, Kanayama claimed that he splashed oil as an act of blessing. He expressed his willingness to compensate for the damage, saying, "I want to apologize and will never splash oil again."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]