Justin Bieber "Extremely Sorry" for Visiting Shrine Honoring Japanese War Criminals

Singer was unaware of Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine and it's controversial history, causing offense to many of his Chinese fans

By Rebecca Macatee Apr 23, 2014 1:53 PMTags
Justin Bieber, InstagramInstagram

Justin Bieber's latest offense appears to have been an honest mistake.

On Wednesday, the 20-year-old singer paid a visit to Toyko's Yasukuni Shrine, a controversial structure honoring Japanese criminals who committed horrific acts against China and other parts of Asia during World War II. The Biebs, seemingly unaware of its history, Instagrammed a photo of himself bowing before the shrine, writing, "Thank you for your blessings."

But Justin, perhaps thanks to social media, quickly discovered the disturbing history of his roadside stop and why his Chinese fans would be upset with him for dropping by. He deleted his photo of the structure, putting up, instead, a screen grab of a Time article with the headline (which has since been updated to reflect his apology), "Justin Bieber Drops by Controversial Shrine Honoring War Criminals in Tokyo." He didn't just acknowledge his gaffe, though—he took responsibility for his inernational faux pas and explained how it happened.

Instagram

"While in Japan I asked my driver to pull over for which I saw a beautiful shrine. I was mislead to think the Shrines were only a place of prayer," he wrote. "To anyone I have offended I am extremely sorry. I love you China and I love you Japan."

Just two hours after posting his apology, Justin still appeared to be upset by his mistake, Instagramming a solemn picture of himself, head bowed, staring at the floor sadly.

Lesson learned.