TOKYO: Two Japanese tourists in their 20s were detained for two weeks in China and then deported for taking photos showing one of the traveler’s exposed buttocks at the Great Wall, local media reported.
The incident at the World Heritage site near Beijing concerned a man who showed his bottom and a woman who took photos, NTV and other Japanese media outlets reported on Thursday.
The Embassy of Japan in China said Friday it “confirmed on January 3 that two Japanese nationals were detained by local authorities at the Great Wall.”
They “were released and returned to Japan during January,” it said in a statement.
The tourists were detained on the spot by security guards and held for around two weeks, the reports said, citing sources.
Exposing the lower half of the body in a public place is against the law in China, according to the reports.
The tourists reportedly told the Japanese embassy they did it as a prank.
“Out of protection for individual privacy,” the Japanese embassy declined to comment on specific details, including whether the tourists will be barred from traveling to China or face additional punishment such as fines or jail time.
The reports sparked outrage in China, where memories of atrocities committed during Japan’s colonial occupation of the country in the 1930s and 1940s still inspire strong feelings.
A hashtag translating to “Japanese man and woman detained for indecent behavior at the Great Wall” had been viewed over 60 million times on social media platform Weibo by Friday morning.
Many top-liked comments blasted the tourists for the act, with some using hateful language toward Japanese people.
China deports Japanese tourists over Great Wall buttocks photos
https://arab.news/ruxya
China deports Japanese tourists over Great Wall buttocks photos
- Incident at the World Heritage site near Beijing concerned a man who showed his bottom and a woman who took photos
- Exposing the lower half of the body in a public place is against the law in China, according to the reports
Paraplegic engineer first wheelchair user to blast into space
- An ecstatic Benthaus said she laughed all the way up — the capsule soared more than 105 kilometers — and tried to turn upside down once in space. “It was the coolest experience,” she said shortly after landing.
WEST TEXAS: A paraplegic engineer from Germany blasted off on a dream-come-true rocket ride with five other passengers, leaving her wheelchair behind to float in space while beholding Earth from on high.
Severely injured in a mountain bike accident seven years ago, Michaela Benthaus became the first wheelchair user in space, launching from West Texas with Jeff Bezos’ company Blue Origin. She was accompanied by a retired SpaceX executive also born in Germany, Hans Koenigsmann, who helped organize and, along with Blue Origin, sponsored her trip. Their ticket prices were not divulged.
An ecstatic Benthaus said she laughed all the way up — the capsule soared more than 105 kilometers — and tried to turn upside down once in space. “It was the coolest experience,” she said shortly after landing.
The 10-minute space-skimming flight required only minor adjustments to accommodate Benthaus, according to the company. That’s because the autonomous New Shepard capsule was designed with accessibility in mind, “making it more accessible to a wider range of people than traditional spaceflight,” said Blue Origin’s Jake Mills, an engineer who trained the crew and assisted them on launch day.
Among Blue Origin’s previous space tourists: those with limited mobility and impaired sight or hearing, and a pair of 90-year-olds.
For Benthaus, Blue Origin added a patient transfer board so she could scoot between the capsule’s hatch and her seat. The recovery team also unrolled a carpet on the desert floor following touchdown.
