A 39-year-old Taiwanese television host has been arrested at Japan’s Kansai International Airport over allegations that she splashed liquid on a national treasure at a historic temple in Nara earlier this year, as per Tokyo Reporter . The woman, identified by Japanese media as Tsai Yi-zhen, is suspected of pouring glycerin onto the Buddha’s Footprint Stone, or Bussokuseki, at the World Heritage-listed Yakushiji Temple on April 6.
Temple staff reportedly discovered traces of a liquid on the stone and alerted police. Investigators later found that the substance was glycerin, a colourless liquid commonly used in cosmetics and skincare products. Police reportedly identified Tsai through surveillance footage from the temple. She is suspected of violating Japan’s Act on Protection of Cultural Properties.
She had left Japan after the alleged incident but was arrested when she returned to the country on August 22.
The manager also apologised for the “public concern and inconvenience caused by this incident”, adding that further updates would be issued once the situation became clearer.
In a statement issued on August 24, her manager said the case remained under investigation by Japanese authorities and that Wu’s family and a lawyer in Japan were working to understand the circumstances.
