THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
December 26, 2025 at 17:07 JST
A headless statue of Toyotomi Hideyoshi sits by the street in Nagoya’s Nishi Ward on Aug. 26 after an alleged vandalism incident. (Masahiro Iwao)
NAGOYA–In a disturbing case of vandalism to a local landmark, a police officer and another man are suspected of damaging a statue here of feudal warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi in August, according to investigative sources.
The plastic statue sits outside the Endoji shopping district in the city’s Nishi Ward. Hideyoshi (1537-1598) hailed from the area that became modern‑day Nagoya.
Investigators say a police officer from Ehime Prefecture allegedly grabbed the statue’s neck and twisted it until it snapped on the night of Aug. 19. He was visiting Aichi Prefecture on a business trip and was reportedly intoxicated at the time.
A separate incident occurred four days later, when a local man allegedly kicked off the statue’s fragile head. The two men are not believed to know each other.
Aichi police are reviewing security camera footage and questioning the men on a voluntary basis. They plan to refer the suspects to prosecutors once the allegations are confirmed.
Ehime police said they are working to determine whether the officer was involved and will respond appropriately once the facts are confirmed.
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