AICHI (TR) – Aichi Prefectural Police have revealed that a fellow officer from Ehime Prefecture is suspected of damaging a statue of feudal warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi in Nagoya earlier this year.
According to police, the unnamed officer was on a business trip at the time and was intoxicated, reports Nagoya TV (Dec. 25)
On the night of August 19, the unnamed officer twisted the head of the reinforced plastic statue, located at the Endoji Shopping District in Nishi Ward, until it broke off at the neck.
In a separate incident four days later, another man allegedly kicked the statue’s head until it broke free. The police officer and the second man are not acquaintances, police said.
Aichi police are now examining security camera footage shot in the area. The police officer and the second man are undergoing questioning on a voluntary basis.
Police plan to refer the pair to prosecutors at a later date. Ehime police said they are confirming the facts of the matter.
Hideyoshi (1537-1598) is from the area. He is credited with shaping Nagoya into what it is today.
