A Chinese man suspected of an arson attack last December on Yasukuni Shrine says he was motivated by "antihumanitarian acts by the militaristic Japan," according to Yonhap news agency.
Court officials told Yonhap that 38-year-old Liu Qiang made the remarks as the start of his trial Thursday in the Seoul High Court to determine whether he should be extradited to Japan to face charges.
Liu is being held in South Korea after serving a 10-month term in a Seoul prison for hurling Molotov cocktails at the Japanese Embassy in January to protest Japan's refusal to apologize for past war crimes.