Explosion damages Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine

TOKYO, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- No one was injured Sunday when an explosion went off at Tokyo's controversial Yasukuni Shrine, an incident police said could have been politically motivated.

The Shinto shrine, which honors Japan's war dead and is regarded by some as symbolic of the country's militaristic history, was open for an autumn festival Monday, a national holiday. About 20 priests and 100 visitors were inside the main building when the explosion occurred in a public restroom in a nearby building on the grounds.

The blast blackened walls and left a hole in the ceiling. Local media reported batteries and wire were found at the site.

No injuries were reported, and police have made no arrests. The festival ceremonies continued to their conclusion.

To many, within and outside Japan, Yasukuni Shrine is emblematic of Japan militarism from the Meiji Restoration of 1868 to the end of World War II. Visits by Japanese prime ministers have angered China and South Korea, each of which has been invaded by Japan.

The site lists the names of 2.4 million people who died in a number of conflicts, including 14 convicted as Class-A World War II war criminals.

Some on the political left fear Japan is returning to militarism after the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who visited the shrine in 2013, passed legislation in September expanding the Japanese military's overseas capabilities. The shrine has also seen political protest, most recently on New Year's Eve 2014, when a man, 25, was arrested after setting fire to one of the structures.