Japanese policeman probed for beheading Toyotomi Hideyoshi statue in Nagoya

A police officer from Ehime prefecture is under investigation for allegedly beheading a statue of feudal lord Toyotomi Hideyoshi in Nagoya in August, with a local man also suspected of kicking the severed head.

Surveillance footage showed a man, believed to be the officer on a business trip from Ehime to Aichi prefecture, twisting the statue's head with both hands late on August 19, causing it to break off. He was possibly drunk. Another Nagoya resident allegedly kicked the head in the early hours of August 23.

Police plan to refer both to prosecutors on suspicion of property damage. Ehime police said they are investigating the officer's involvement and will take appropriate action based on the facts.

The seated statue, donated by local businessman Tokita Kazuhiro in 2013 alongside statues of Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu, had been vandalized before. Tokita said while he was relieved the investigation progressed, the incident damages police credibility and should not have happened.