Man cuts off finger in shrine protest

Tokyo: A member of a Japanese right-wing group was arrested yesterday after he sent his severed little finger to the ruling party headquarters in protest at Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's failure to visit a Tokyo war shrine.

Abe stayed away from Yasukuni Shrine on the August 15 anniversary of the nation's Second World War surrender, avoiding a slight to those in China and Korea who see the shrine as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.

The 54-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of making threats after he sent his finger to the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo, said a police official.

The envelope also contained a letter of protest and a disk showing images of the man cutting off his finger, the official said.

Removing part of a finger is a traditional form of punishment or atonement among gangsters in Japan.