'Yasukuni blast suspect confessed attack for 2nd time'

By Kim Se-jeong

The Korean suspect in the bombing at Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine last month admitted to carrying out the attack during questioning, multiple Japanese news outlets reported Wednesday.

This is the second time the 27-year-old, surnamed Jeon, has confessed to the attack. He allegedly admitted the crime during initial questioning upon his arrest at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Dec. 9, but later denied it, according to Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

According to the Asahi Shimbun, Jeon told police he set up the explosives on the floor of the shrine’s restroom but “without knowing that they were dangerous materials.”

The Japanese police requested their Korean counterpart for cooperation in the investigation, which the latter accepted.

The MPD said gunpowder found at the blast site contained potassium nitrate used in fireworks and rocket propellants, confirming the suspect’s intention to blow up the building. It is now looking for evidence to prove he prepared the explosives. Currently, he is only charged with trespassing on shrine premises.

Last week, Japanese media reported that Jeon had what appeared to be gunpowder in his luggage when he was arrested. But officials at Gimpo International Airport, where he took the plane to Japan, said they also found the black powder and conducted a close examination, concluding the material did not contain any explosive components.

The bomb was detonated in the bathroom at the shrine located in central Tokyo on Nov. 23. The shrine honors 2.5 million Japanese war dead, among whom are war criminals interred there in the ‘70s.

Japanese authorities identified Jeon as a prime suspect, who by then was back in Korea. On Dec. 9, Jeon flew back to Japan and was arrested at the airport.

It is still unclear what motivated him to return. The MPD suspected that he entered the country with a plan for a second attack.

The MPD said Jeon had not been involved in anti-Japan activities. A Korean diplomat is with Jeon to provide legal protection.