A WOMAN has been detained in Nanjing for enshrining the memorial tablets of Japanese war criminals in a local temple, Global Times and China Daily reported yesterday, citing an official announcement of local government.

The woman said she was trying to free herself from a nightmare that had haunted her since she learned of the atrocities by the invading Japanese army during the Nanjing Massacre, a government investigation found. The enshrining incident triggered public outrage on Chinese social media platforms.

The local government announced that in December 2017, Wu, 32, carried to Nanjing’s Xuanzang Temple the memorial tablets of five Japanese criminals who were involved in the Nanjing Massacre during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

She also enshrined the tablet of an American missionary, Minnie Vautrin. She wanted to “help the soul” of Vautrin after learning of her kindness of saving Chinese during the massacre.

Wu told the monk at the temple that these people were her friends and paid 3,000 yuan (US$444) to put the memorial tablets in the shrine for five years, according to the announcement.

A visitor found the tablets of the Japanese criminals and took photos in February. The monks in the temple then removed these tablets and informed the abbot about the issue. The abbot did not report the issue to related authorities.

Wu’s move seriously violated Buddhism’s doctrine to promote good and punish bad, damaged public order and hurt the people’s feelings, the Nanjing government said.

The abbot of Xuanzang Temple, Li Yijiang, was replaced by the bureau of ethnic and religious affairs of Nanjing’s Xuanwu District, and the operation of the temple has been suspended to correct its misconduct.

At least nine officials have been held responsible for the incident, including Party chief and director of the Nanjing Ethnic and Religious Bureau and two deputy directors of the bureau.

(Global Times, China Daily)