Two Japanese tourists were detained for two weeks in China after taking “inappropriate” photos at the Great Wall of China. The incident involved a man exposing his buttocks while a woman took pictures of him, according to Japanese media reports on Thursday. After their detention, the two were deported back to Japan.
The Japanese Embassy in China confirmed on Friday that the two individuals were detained by local authorities on January 3. “They were released and returned to Japan during January,” the embassy said in a statement. However, it declined to provide further details, including whether the individuals would face travel restrictions, fines, or other legal consequences.
Security guards at the UNESCO-listed site detained the tourists on the spot, and they were held for around two weeks before being sent back. Exposing one’s lower body in a public place is illegal in China. The tourists later told the Japanese embassy that they had acted as a prank.
The incident has sparked outrage in China, where historical tensions with Japan remain strong. On Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, a hashtag translating to “Japanese man and woman detained for indecent behaviour at the Great Wall” was viewed over 60 million times by Friday morning, according to AFP. Many top-liked comments condemned the tourists, with some using hostile language toward Japanese people.
Chinese actor Chen Yitian, who has over 7 million followers on social media, criticised the tourists, calling their actions “shameful” and disrespectful to “my Great Wall,” reported The Japan Times.