TAIPEI - A Taiwanese actor and TV host who was summarily indicted earlier this week over the defacement of a treasured stone monument at a western Japan temple apologized on Thursday, expressing deep remorse for causing trouble and harm to the local community.
Tsai Yi-chen, 39, wrote a Facebook post in both Chinese and Japanese in which she described her actions at Yakushiji Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Nara Prefecture, as stemming from "ignorance." She also expressed her "deepest and most sincere apologies to everyone in Japan."
According to police, Tsai was arrested at Kansai International Airport in Osaka Prefecture last month on suspicion of pouring a liquid on the Buddha's Footprint Stone, a Japanese national treasure dating to the eighth century, in April. The stone is inscribed with lines depicting Shakyamuni Buddha's footprint.
On Wednesday, Tsai was summarily indicted and fined 500,000 yen ($3,200). She was released after paying the fine, according to media reports.
Tsai said that she had cooperated with the authorities and reflected on her actions, adding that she should have been more careful and made a greater effort to understand the cultures, histories and laws of host countries while traveling abroad.
"I will remember the lessons from this incident, and I promise Japan that I will never make the same mistake again," Tsai said.
