Chiba Police to Arrest Japanese National in Midair; Man Accused of Vandalizing Shrine, Temple Being Brought to Japan from U.S.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:55 JST, March 3, 2026

CHIBA — The Chiba prefectural police plan to arrest a Japanese national while he is en route to Japan from the United States as early as Wednesday, according to police sources.

The 63-year-old man is suspected of vandalizing religious buildings in the prefecture in March 2015, the sources said.

According to the sources, the man allegedly applied an oil-like liquid to the pillars and walls at Naritasan Shinhoji temple in Narita and Katori Jingu shrine in Katori in the prefecture. Stains suspected to have been caused by the liquid were found on the temple’s three-storied pagoda and the shrine’s romon gate, both of which are designated as Important Cultural Property.

The police are also investigating whether he was involved in similar incidents at 48 temples and shrines in 16 prefectures reported that year.

The man established a religious organization in Japan in 2013 and had frequently traveled between Japan and the United States. However, he has remained in the United States since the incident, the sources said.

The police obtained an arrest warrant in April 2015. They will arrest the man and take him into custody from U.S. authorities when the plane he is riding in enters Japan’s airspace.

The plane will depart from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.